Hope Under Shadows
by Jaydoggg39
Summary: Heroes and legends are not created during times of peace, as they are forged from the burning embers of war. Heroes and legends aren't those who balance the weight of the world on their shoulders, but are instead, those who gamble against fate to do what they can. Peace doesn't define a legend... The actions made are what defines them.
1. Goodbye, Peaceful Days

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"...Sir!"

Danzo Shimura turned his head as a ninja appeared behind him in a burst of smoke. His single eye narrowed as he grounded out, "What is it? This had better be important for you to waste my-"

"Lord Hokage...is dead."

Danzo's skin grew cold, and he simply stared at the nervous ninja who repeatedly twitched under the straining eye of the "War Hawk". Eventually, his killing intent calmed and he turned back to look at the children in front of him. He closed his eye and sighed as he gripped his cane and turned away from the sight. Still in disbelief, he addressed the man over his shoulder, "How did this happen...?"

"...The elders wish to discuss that with you. Lord Mitokado and Lady Utatane had asked me to send for you."

Danzo sat in silence a few seconds longer before hobbling away. He grunted, "Then let's go already... we don't have time to waste..."

* * *

Deep below the Hokage's Building, the two elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, silently mourned the corpse of Hiruzen Sarutobi, delicately placed on the cot as if he were sleeping.

"...This political war has gone on for far too long. The Hokage's dead, and the village's moral and standing has been weakened greatly, Homura."

Homura shook his head and sighed, collapsing into a chair as he rubbed his forehead. Koharu moved and held Homura's shoulder as they were joined by Danzo, who halted the ninja behind him. He walked over to the body of Sarutobi, narrowing his eyes at his fallen friend. As the other elders stayed silent, he addressed them, "...He's in his battle attire...How did he lose...?"

"...An Uchiha..."

Danzo turned back towards, growling angrily, "What Uchiha!? No Uchiha has the power to defeat Hiruzen!"

Homura spoke, though his eyes remained closed, "We don't know... Itachi claimed that he had the Sharingan...the Mangekyo, to be precise. Both of them fought him... In the end, Hiruzen was killed, and Itachi still lives."

Danzo narrowed his eyes as he slowly inquired, "Where is Itachi Uchiha, then?"

* * *

In the Hospital Ward, Itachi Uchiha sat, stone still as he gazed blankly at the wall. Before long, he felt the chakra of a nearby person and woke himself out of his stupor when Danzo entered the room. He respectfully bowed, calling out, "Lord Danzo!"

"Please, Itachi... Sit."

Itachi flinched at the slightly angered tone of the elder, but sat anyway. The war hawk slowly limped over to the nearby window, gazing at the night scenery of Konoha.

"...I've known Hiruzen for a very long time... He was...a powerful Shinobi...One whose power extended far beyond this time..."

Itachi stayed silent as the man slowly turned, moving over to crouch in front of Itachi. The teenager blinked as the old man roughly grabbed his shoulder, continuing to speak, "I want to know...how you are still alive while Hiruzen is dead?"

Itachi said nothing initially, which briefly caused Danzo to slowly apply pressure before Itachi recounted the events of the night.

* * *

_"...Lord Hokage!? What are you doing here!?"_

_ Itachi was shocked as Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in the red and white robes of Hokage, stood behind him, his trademarked pipe resting on his lips as he commented, __"I'm here to see if you're still going through with the massacre, Itachi."_

_ He slowly sheathed his blade as the old man took another drag of his pipe._

_ "...I have to do it...and quickly before Sasuke gets home. The world will enter another war if I don't... and I'd rather it not-"_

_ The elder interrupted, "You don't have to do this, Itachi. There are always other possibilities."_

_ Itachi's eyes widened, and he began stuttering, "But... But... You and the council!? I-"_

_ "...Let me worry about the council Itachi... The only thing this massacre will start is more hatred..."_

_ Itachi sat in silence, thinking about the consequences of what could happen. He shook his head, before stating, "You already tried everything else. They will not listen... They all have to die...They have to-"_

_ "And Sasuke? You will leave Sasuke alive, only to embrace hatred?"_

_ That quieted Itachi immediately. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no words were spoken._

_ "Do not go through with this, Itachi. No matter the end, bloodshed will be spilled... Delaying it __will not change a thing... If they must overthrow me...so be it..."_

_ At the last thing Sarutobi stated, Itachi slowly looked up towards him, shock on his face as he raged, "Sacrificing yourself for them!? That is even worse!"_

_ Sarutobi stared down Itachi, slowly inhaling his pipe as he sighed. He moved to grab Itachi, but was interrupted by another voice in the area, "You are an idiot, Sarutobi."_

_ Sarutobi's eyes widened as he turned on his heel, Itachi doing the same. Behind them, a vortex appeared, and a man in an orange mask swirled into the space with them. His mask held a black flame design with a single eye-hole. He had long, spiky black hair and black hooded robes marked with red clouds. Itachi reached over his shoulder for his blade and Sarutobi's pipe fell from his lips._

_ "...You don't look to happy to see me, Itachi... I thought we were friends."_

_ Itachi took a step back, and Sarutobi gripped his robes, throwing them off as he appeared in his battle suit. He placed his hands together in a tiger seal, growling, "You are the man in the mask... The one Minato spoke about on his death-bed... Madara Uchiha."_

_ The masked figure chuckled as he replied, "...What a clever old man... And here I was thinking you were senile..."_

_ Itachi's eyes widened as the man faded away, appearing directly in front of him. He fell back and glared into the single eye of 'Madara', noticing his Sharingan. The man taunted, "We had a deal, Itachi... I don't like it when people sever bonds with me."_

_ Before he could reach over to grab Itachi, a fireball faded through his arm, and he turned back to Sarutobi, "Well now... Do you wish to be my dance partner instead?"_

_ Sarutobi replied with his foot, fading through the masked figure and pulling Itachi away. Landing a distance away from the masked man, Sarutobi dropped Itachi on his feet and settled in a stance._

_ "Itachi, you must go... I do not know why you have spoken to such a man, but if he desires the destruction of the Uchiha, you must go and evacuate them all!"_

_Itachi's eyes widened and he began to protest, "But... Lord Hokage! I-"_

_ Sarutobi grabbed him and pushed him away, screaming, "Go!"_

_ "Not so fast."_

_ As Itachi moved to run, he was suddenly being pulled back by a strong surge of wind. Turning, he noticed that the masked figure was behind him, attempting to absorb him into his eye._

_ "Come here."_

_ Itachi reached into his pocket, growling out, "Not a chance!" and tossed a kunai with an explosive tag, causing the man to stop his pull as he retreated from the explosion. By the time the __smoke cleared, the teenage Uchiha was long gone, and he turned back to Sarutobi who summoned and twisted his monkey staff._

_ "...Do not fret, Madara. Your opponent shall be me."_

* * *

_ "...Damn! I hope Sasuke isn't back yet!"_

_ Itachi rushed across the rooftops to the Uchiha Clan Compound. He jumped one last time and landed on the streets of the compound, frightened when he noticed the blood on the ground along with the bodies of the fallen Uchiha._

_ "...Too late, Itachi... I was just finishing up this bunch before heading to the next..."_

_ Itachi's eyes widened, and he slowly turned around, gazing into the eyes of the predator. 'Madara' stood behind him, the mask cracked around his right eye and showing the makings of wrinkles. His robes were tattered beyond repair, barely hanging around his torn form._

_ "...I wish I could have escaped with both of my eyes intact... I didn't think the old man would push me to using Izanagi..."_

_ Itachi moved back as the man slowly moved forward, step-by-step. He held his hands out, reaching towards Itachi as he claimed, "You are Shisui Uchiha's friend... Only you know his fate, and I wish for it... You will tell me where his body is..."_

_ He continued to close in on Itachi, he drew his blade and held a stance as he back away. The masked man moved closer before a shrill voice interrupted, "No! Big brother!"_

_ Itachi's head twisted towards the high-pitched voice of his young brother, Sasuke. He screamed out, "Shit... Sasuke! Stay back!"_

_ The man then turned his attentions to the boy, who stopped when 'Madara' saw him and mused, __"...Hm... I forgot about you, Sasuke..."_

_ "Don't you dare touch him!"_

_ He turned back to Itachi, though his single eye widened when the teenage Uchiha's eyes began bleeding. His pupil turned red, and his basic Sharingan began forming itself into a black, three-bladed shuriken shape._

_ 'The Mangekyo!? He was the one to kill Shisui!? That means he has the other eye!'_

_ "...Amaterasu!"_

_ The man began screaming into the night sky as black embers began sparking on his face, suddenly exploding into darkened flames. Sasuke watched in awe as the man began twisting, beginning to fade away._

_ "Damn you, Itachi!"_

_ However, Itachi heard nothing, as by that time, he had long passed out from the strain of the Mangekyo Sharingan._

* * *

Danzo skeptically glared at Itachi as he finished, and disbelievingly stated, "Madara Uchiha? Are you telling me that Madara Uchiha's still alive, and that he attacked you and his own clan?"

"He's telling the truth. I took the liberty of confirming before."

Danzo turned towards the door as Inoichi Yamanaka stepped in, followed by members of the ANBU. Narrowing his eyes, he inquired, "What are you doing here?"

"...The boy... Homura and Koharu wants to speak to him."

Danzo, still unconvinced, continued to question him further, "For what? They've already spoken to him."

"...As the_ Godaime Hokage Candidate_, the council wishes to speak with him."

Both Itachi's and Danzo's mouth were left hung, and they both turned to look at the other. They all knew that the war hawk sought the position for a long time, and knew that he was also confused that an Uchiha was being offered the position. Itachi slowly raised his hand, as if he were in a classroom, to which Inoichi addressed him, "...What is it?"

"Why...? Why...? Uhhmmm...why...? I just don't... understand... I mean...why?"

At the teen's incessant stuttering, the man sighed, "I don't know. That's why I'm taking you to the elders."

* * *

"...Why?"

Homura and Koharu both sat, lips thinned and eyes narrowed as Itachi stood in front of them. He consistently shook, and Homura sighed and began rubbing his forehead again. Koharu reached over into the desk of the Hokage and pulled a set of papers, each with Sarutobi's seal of approval.

"...This was Sarutobi's idea of appealing to the Uchiha... By offering one them political power, the Uchiha's coup d'état would end, or at least be delayed for an amount of time... You were his chosen successor."

In the back of the room, Danzo facepalmed and mentally cursed Sarutobi.

_'Sarutobi, you damned fool...'_

"As the Hokage's word is law," Koharu started, but stopped and glared at Homura, who grumbled under his breath ("You mean because we couldn't find any of the Sannin..."), before continuing, "You are his successor... but you are still too young, and thus, you must be trained before you can take his mantle."

Itachi blinked and finally addressed the elephant in the room, "The people would think the coup d'état was successful if that were to happen... Won't that cause another political strife?"

Danzo finally spoke out from his spot in the back of the room, "That's the prime reason we don't want you becoming Hokage, child!"

"Not necessarily..."

All three of them turned to the window, noticing a gigantic toad with a white-haired man on it. The man peeked into the window, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Have you come to reconsider our offer of Hokage, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya said nothing for a few seconds, eventually replying, "Hell no!", causing the elders to visibly drop in expression.

"However, I've heard from Inoichi about the events... Sarutobi-sensei is...gone...," Jiraiya paused for a moment before continuing, "...but the members of the Uchiha clan have also fallen. The people will believe they've killed each other off."

"...And an Uchiha in charge will still convince the populace that the Uchiha Clan has won!"

Jiraiy eyed Danzo at his outburst before closing his eyes and simply stating, "The people will also understand the true meaning of the massacre if he isn't... There is no available scapegoat for the lack of Uchiha nor the death of Sensei... Damning either one will cause the village to erupt into civil war."

Danzo hobbled over to Jiraiya, rage fueling his steps, "So what do you want us to do then, Jiraiya? If we are damned either way, then what can be done?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms, gritting his teeth as he spoke, "Why don't you just tell the truth? The truth will cause them both to be seen as heroes, and will possibly end any feelings with the Uchiha remnants and the village."

"...So you want us to tell the populace that Madara returned? That he came and attacked the Hokage and his own clan decades after he had been killed!?"

"...No."

The elders the in the room turned their gazes to Itachi, who had spoken. He continued, "No one would believe Madara is still alive. But the man's robes... that was Akatsuki..."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, with the other elders becoming silent. Eventually, Jiraiya stated, "Blaming a group that is often employed by many nations my cause distrust among them, Itachi."

"But it is the truth... The distrust will be placed on Akatsuki... We limit the use and funding of Akatsuki...and we could cause a Cold War... But better that than a real one."

The elders looked at Itachi as he spoke, who in return, glanced at all of them.

"What?"

"...Kid, you sound like a politician already."

* * *

"...Mother? Are you alright?"

Mikoto Uchiha looked down at her youngest son, who held her hand as he worriedly watched over her. She said nothing, but patted his head and smiled to let him know she was alright, causing him to grin in return.

"Here you are, Itachi.

Both of the Uchiha turned to the door as it opened, and a medical ninja held her hand out to Itachi, who walked in and stared directly into his mother's eyes, whose own widened. Her youngest son yelled out, "Itachi!", and ran towards him, jumping right into his arms.

"...Hello, Sasuke. I'm afraid we can't talk now. I have matters to discuss with mother. Maybe we could hang out some other time."

He poked the boy in his head, much to Sasuke's annoyance, before placing him on the ground, locking the door in front of him.

"...Are you going to kill me too... Itachi?"

Itachi turned back to his mother, who buried herself further into her covers. He walked up to her, slowly drawing his blade, causing her to cry. Instead, he dropped it on the ground and stopped at the edge of her bed, simply stating, "I'm not here to kill you."

"Then... then why have you kept me alive?"

Itachi sighed and sat in Sasuke's former chair, grabbing his mother's hand as his brother did. He spoke softly, "That wasn't me. I was planning it, but that masked man showed up... He defeated Sarutobi and reached the clan before I could... I tried to defend you all."

Mikoto looked down at the sheets, gripping them tightly, as well as Itachi's hand, "Then who was the Uchiha in the mask...?"

Itachi stayed silent for a few moments. Mikoto clasped her other hand on top of Itachi's, lightly tearing up as Itachi still had not spoken after minutes, until he finally spoke.

"Madara Uchiha."

Mikoto stopped tearing up, narrowing her eyebrows and growling, "Young man, y-"

"...Whether you believe me or not, Madara came and killed the Uchiha... after defeating Lord Hokage."

However, at that, her countenance changed into one of shock, and her hands slowly let go of Itachi's. She was barely able to ask, "The Hokage's...?"

"Yes. And I'm to be his replacement."

Mikoto stared at her son, who simply crossed his arms and leaning back into his chair. Before she could say anything, Itachi interrupted, "I'm here to tell... No, I'm here to order you to put the Uchiha back on their leashes... Madara left this remnant alive because I was able to stop him, but I won't hesitate to put the rest down if I hear of another coup d'état. I'm not doing this as a representative of the clan... I'm accepting the mantle as a ninja of Konoha."

He stood up and walked away, moving to unlock the door and leave. Before he grabbed the knob, he heard her voice carry across the room.

"...Then I'm glad...Itachi... I'm glad that you have found your own path... But please don't leave your family behind... If not the clan...and if not me...then don't leave your brother behind."

Itachi silently nodded and continued out the door, past his confused brother.

"Itachi?"

Itachi didn't answer, and continued down the hall.

* * *

Notes:

-After buying and playing Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, I noted something that made me rethink the Shinobi World War arc. I think it's cool to see some new pasts being introduced, and old heroes coming back, but I felt that the Zetsu Army and Undead Army made it seem like an emotional cop-out.

I understand how and why Kishimoto did it, but it took the Naruto-being-a-hero-thing too far... Once the war ends, there's no real reason to be a shinobi, as there will only be one lone hero, and therefore, only two endings will be possible: a fairy tale ending of all living happily ever after, or a tragic Naruto dying for/with Sasuke or for the Ninja Alliance, which makes the story seem more childish than it should.

So then I came up with this fiction, where the Fourth Shinobi War is actually a war between other countries, and not the world vs. Tobi. I'm not saying this story's gonna be dark and depressing, as I'm still trying to encompass what defines the Manga, but it is less happy-go-lucky.

* * *

Trivia:

-The title refers to many of the legends revealed through current Ninja War arc and other characters, like Kakashi, Minato, the Sannin, etc. and that heroes are created during war, not during peace.

-I really wanted to do a Sarutobi vs. Tobi, but I didn't know how I would go about it. So I decided to save it for another flashback another time.

-It took Itachi an hour to get back to the village. Tobi didn't wtf-pwned Sarutobi in a minute like it seems.

-After attempting to convince the Uchiha through talks to call off the coup d'etat, Sarutobi planned on naming Itachi his successor in order to halt/delay a civil war.

-The reason I kept Mikoto alive is in next chapter.


	2. Squad Nine

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Welcome to the last day of class, children."

Many of the children began cheering as Kurenai Yuhi attempted to speak, though could not over the screaming children. She shook her head as they began excitedly speaking to each other, except for one lone student. Her face became crestfallen at the blonde-haired child dressed in orange. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and shorts, with an orange vest over it. His black ninja sandals were propped on the desk as he kicked back nonchalantly.

"...Naruto..."

She watched him for a few seconds before informing the other students that their break had started.

"When you all come back, we will begin assigning you all to squads, and you will meet your sensei."

The children began screaming more excitedly as they rushed out of the door. Naruto slowly rose from his seat and stalked out of the door. Kurenai sighed as he left. A voice appeared behind, causing her to turn to the man behind her.

"He must be a handful, huh?"

Kurenai turned back into the lone eye of Kakashi Hatake, who stood next to Asuma Sarutobi. She shook her head, replying, "Not like he used to be... Two years ago, he was pure trouble... But ever since the Sandaime Hokage died..."

Asuma took a drag of his cigarette before stating, "He and dad used to be pretty close... I could see how that might shake him up a bit..."

"...He just refuses to do any work... He's dead last... I don't know what we're gonna do for him..."

Kakashi turned to her and asked, "How did he pass?"

"...Lord Hokage."

* * *

"Hey, dumbass... I don't see a bento with you. Lucky for you, my mother made too much."

Naruto smugly replied, "You don't have to lie, Sasuke... Your mother made extra for me, of course."

Sasuke grunted and sat next to Naruto on the rooftops of the Hokage Tower, gazing over the village. He the bento to Naruto, who began eating it at a rapid pace. Neither one of them sensed the man behind them.

"...What are you both doing?"

Both of the boys turned their heads as the Fifteen-year-old Godaime Hokage appeared behind them, dressed in the traditional red and white robes. Sasuke waved his brother away, "We're not skipping class 'cause we're on break. Go away."

Naruto said nothing, and instead turned back to the village. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto, and Itachi sighed before walking up to them. He nudged Sasuke with his foot before speaking, "Sasuke, tell mother that I'm coming to the compound for dinner... And invite Naruto while you're at it."

Sasuke grunted, "Why don't you ask him since he's right there, idiot?"

Itachi frowned and kicked him again, nearly knocking him off. The young Uchiha flailed as he attempted to keep his balance, screaming and yelling curses.

"Don't speak to your big brother like that. When I tell you to do something, you do it."

Sasuke reached forward to grab Itachi's ankle, attempting to take him down with him.. Instead of pulling him down like he wanted, the Hokage held still like an anchor, so Sasuke used him to pull himself up, raging, "You almost killed me!"

Itachi simply stated, "All ninja must learn to run before they walk, Sasuke... That's the best way to grow."

"That's bullshit, Itachi, and you know it!"

As Sasuke moved to hit Itachi, the elder Uchiha burst into crows, causing the boy to growl angrily and moved back to sit with Naruto. As he sat, he looked over at Naruto, who hadn't moved from his spot.

"I know Itachi can be an ass sometimes, but I don't understand why you don't like him."

Naruto said nothing as he stood up, looking at his watch. He motioned for Sasuke to follow him as he claimed, "I don't hate him... I just don't like change..."

* * *

"...So Team Seven is...Sasuke Uchiha...Sakura Haruno...and..."

Kurenai stated as she called out the student's names from the list. She stared at the last name for a second before calling out, "...Sai Shin...? Uh... This group is to be led by Kakashi Hatake..."

_'I thought Naruto was supposed to be the third teammate? Didn't Kakashi specifically request him?'_

Apparently, Kakashi knew nothing about the transfer either, as he suddenly appeared through the door. Though his eye had no emotion, that he wasn't late caused her to believe something happened. As Kakashi led his team out of the door, turning back to glance at Naruto, Kurenai continued, "Uh... Team Eight is Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame. You three are to stay behind until all the teams are out."

Before she could move on to the next squad, her door was broken open by a brown-haired male Jonin, who landed in front of her breathing. As he recollected himself, he stood up, dusting himself off. Kurenai looked at him with raised eyebrows, asking, "Who are you?"

The man held out a note to her, which she snatched out of his hands and began skimming through it. She then walked over to Naruto, who looked at her with his eyebrows raised, and immediately started, "I swear it wasn't me."

Kurenai herself raised her eyebrow and replied, "...You didn't do anything."

"I know... I'm just letting you know it's not my fault, whatever it is."

Kurenai rolled her eyes and explained, "No... This paper says you are to follow this man for your assignment to Team Nine."

"Just me? Why?"

The man walked up to both of them and answered, "The Hokage has a special assignment for your...condition... So you're to come with me."

* * *

"Creepy-sensei, where are you taking me?"

The man simply said, "You'll see... and stop calling me Creepy-sensei."

"You kidnapped me and decided to drag me to your home. That's creepy."

The man simply sighed and continued up the apartment building stairs. Finally arriving to the top, he opened the door and let Naruto outside to the roof garden. Stepping into the bright light of the sun, Naruto held his hand up to block, and finally noticed the other people on the roof top with them. The female was a pale brunette dressed in a purple kimono, and the male was dark-haired, dressed in a white gi, with a green sleeve. The Jonin walked to the front, leaning back against the railing as he turned to the children.

"...Alright, I'm glad you two could make it here okay."

Naruto looked at them both, before simply deciding to sit in between them.

"My name is Yamato... I'm the Sensei of Squad Nine. Now, I know none of you have ever seen each other, since all of you were raised in completely different areas, so we're gonna introduce ourselves now. Just give us your name, your home, your likes and dislikes... and any dream you have for the future."

Neither one of the children spoke, and they all simply looked at Yamato. He closed his eyes and sighed, deciding to pick someone at random. He pointed at the male, who began speaking at a loud tone, "My name is Sora of the Fire Temple, which is where I was raised... I like to train and I dislike...some people back at home... My dream is to become a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and..."

Instead of finishing, he trailed off and closed his mouth, much to the confusion of Naruto and the female. Yamato himself nodded, as he already knew. He then looked over to the girl, and pointed to her. Unlike Sora, her voice was soft, and weak, "My name...is Yakumo Kurama. I was raised in the Kurama Clan Compound, until it burned down... I like to paint...and I dislike my weakness... I wish to become stronger, and prove that I can be a ninja with only Genjutsu."

"That's not a nin-"

Yamato clapped and interrupted, "Very good dreams, Yakumo," before Naruto could demoralize her, "Now Naruto, it's your turn."

Naruto sat as all eyes turned to him. Calmly leaning back against the stairs, he began, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I was raised in Konoha. I like some things and I don't like a lot of things... My dream is to become Hokage..."

Yamato moved to speak, but was interrupted as Naruto finished darkly, "...So I can kill that man... that man who stole everything from me."

All of the children stood silent as they moved away from Naruto. Yamato raised his eyebrow as he continued, "...Ohhh...kay... Umm... Yeah... Anyway, you two," he stated, pointing to Yakumo and Sora, "are from the outside of the village, and was brought in due to special circumstances. Therefore, Naruto was selected to be your third teammate."

"...So...I'm like...on the..._"Special"_...Squad?"

Both Yakumo and Sora looked confused at him, but Yamato sighed, explaining, "No, Naruto... You aren't on the _mentally disabled_ team."

"If anyone's "special", it's you, creep!"

Naruto turned towards Sora and growled at him, who did the same in return. Yamato and Yakumo sighed.

* * *

"Sasuke! Go get the door! It must be Itachi!"

Sasuke grumbled and ran to the door, opening and screaming, "You're dead meat for earlier!"

However, the door was empty, and Sasuke stared at the Uchiha Clan member's that stared back him.

"You look like a fool, Sasuke, screaming outside like that. Close the door before all the cold air leaves."

Sasuke turned and growled at his older brother, who was dressed in the long, traditional robes of the Uchiha. Itachi walked past him and into the kitchen, where his mother was setting the table for their dinner. Behind him was a blonde woman, her hair pinned up into several needles. In her hand were multiple folders.

"Itachi!"

Itachi stared blankly as his mother practically teleported next him and began hugging him, which he didn't respond to. As she pulled away, she suddenly noticed the blonde behind him, and moved to her just as quickly.

"My son brought home a fiancé! I'm going to be a grandmother!"

The woman reared back, pushing Mikoto's face away as she struggled to press her own against the woman's.

"Mother, stop harassing Komachi, my _assistant_."

Mikoto grumbled, turning away as she moved towards the stove. Itachi turned back to his assistant, informing her that she could leave, and that he would handle the paperwork when he returned the next morning. She body flickered away, and Itachi moved over to the dinner table and sat. He looked over at Sasuke, who glared at him from his seat across from him. The tired Hokage rested his head on his hand, smoothly asking, "Where is Naruto? I thought you invited him."

The Uchiha Matriarch turned around and began snarling as she gripped Sasuke by his collar, causing him to panic, "Mo-Mother!?"

"Where is my third child!?"

Sasuke attempted to burn Itachi with his eyes, like Itachi did years ago, as he noticed the slight smirk on his brother's face. His mother began shaking him back and forward as she screamed, "Go out and find him! Tie him up and bring him home!"

"There's no need for that, Mrs. Uchiha... I'm here."

The Uchiha family looked into the entrance way as Naruto knocked on the wall, announcing his presence. Mikoto dropped Sasuke and ran over to Naruto, picking him up into a hug as she swung him around in circles. Sasuke grumbled, "I'm starting to think she loves Naruto more than me..."

* * *

An hour later, the family, with Naruto, began eating, and Sasuke began conversing with Naruto about the assignments.

"I officially hate my team and my sensei. Sakura keeps molesting me, and Sai keeps verbally molesting me... and my sensei is officially a pervert. Brother, you are the worst for picking our teams."

Itachi swallowed his onigiri and stated, "Kakashi's a good ninja... A little rediculous, but I believe he could help you go places..."

"...Yeah, to a porn shop or something."

Mikoto interrupted, "You let Kakashi become his teacher? I thought he requested for-"

Itachi gave a pointed look towards his mother, who stopped and zipped her lip symbolically, causing Sasuke to stare at them both suspiciously. Narrowing his eyes at the two, he glanced back towards Naruto, inquiring, "So what happened with you and that guy with the weird headband?"

"Yamato-sensei? He went and introduced me to my other teammates from outside of the village... a ninja monk and a disabled chick. Then told us about a survival mission."

Sasuke then turned back to Itachi, "So he got the same talk... What's this about a survival test?"

"...I can't tell you about that, Sasuke... The test is up to Kakashi... Knowing him, it's probably something ab-"

Itachi and the family was soon interrupted by ANBU appearing in the living room. Both of the ninja bowed and cried out, "Lord Hokage!"

Itachi quickly jumped from his chair, looming over the soldiers and demanding, "What is the meaning of this?"

"A squad of Chunin, led by Tokubetsu-Jonin Hayate Gekko, came in contact with foreign ninja at the border of the lands of Fire and Hot water!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he grounded out, "What is the identification of the enemy village...?"

"We don't know... But they have sound notes on their headbands..."

* * *

"Damn!"

Hayate Gekko ducked under the incoming barrage of shuriken, watching as a few Chunin behind him weren't lucky enough. He landed in the bushes with the remaining squad, holding his left arm as he had been nipped by a loose shuriken.

"Hayate, what are we going to do...? These foreigners outnumber us four-to-one! There's no way we're gonna make it back!"

Hayate sat in silence, and the frustrated Chunin grabbed him by his shoulder, screaming, "What are we to do!?

The Chunin watched as Hayate quickly went through a number a hand-signs and handed him a scroll.

"...This is... the information... I received from Kumogakure... take it back with you."

"Sir!?"

The Jonin coughed before moving to his feet, drawing his katana.

"That letter has to go back to Lord Hokage... I don't think backup will arrive in time, so I'm trusting you all to make it back to Konoha alive."

The Chunin grabbed his shoulder, attempting to pull him away. As Hayate shrugged him off, he began panicking, "No! We can all retreat! We-"

"No. They will catch us before we make it. I will hold them off as best I can."

"But-"

Hayate turned and gave him a thumbs up as he smiled, "There's always a time to be a hero... Looks like it's mine..."

The Jonin hopped into the battle with the unknown ninja, leaving the Chunin to escape.

* * *

Back at his desk in his office, Itachi sat, looking over the scroll that Hayate left. The panting and bleeding Chunin stood in front of him, anxious and waiting.

"...You're all dismissed... Please rest for now..."

"Yes sir!"

As the squad left the office, Itachi let out a groan of frustration, banging his head on the desk. Komachi stood next to him, waiting for his influx of feelings to be released. However, he simply leaned forward on his desk, reaching for his mission sheet.

"Even this is confusing me, sir. I mean, what in the world is Otogakure? The Hidden Sound Village literally popped out of nowhere... And how did this skirmish happen?"

"Ambush."

Komachi looked over the scroll after Itachi tossed it at her, and read it out loud herself, "This note from Kumogakure...is a mission scroll? For Otogakure?"

"...The mission isn't detailed, but the payment given was high. They were using Otogakure as a cover up for a mission."

"...So why did Otogakure fight so hard to get this...?"

"They didn't want to be discovered."

* * *

Naruto woke early the next morning, his single strap travel pack slung over his shoulders as he leaped across Konoha towards the gate. He noticed that he was the second to arrive there, after Sora.

"Hey...!"

The other boy jumped and turned on his heel to face Naruto.

"Whoa, don't piss yourself. Just wanted to know about Yamato and Yakumo."

The boy said nothing for a while, simply settling for a heated glare. As Naruto blankly stared back at him, he sighed, finally replying, "He left to get Yakumo. You must have forgotten, but she can't move like a normal ninja."

Naruto shrugged and leaned against the wall as he waited. As Sora turned away from him, Naruto finally decided to say something, "So... Ninja monk, huh?"

Sora nodded in confirmation.

"...Like...why did you really come to Konoha? Ninja monks train solitary, with little concern for that of the hidden villages..."

"...I really didn't have a choice."

Before Naruto could implore further, Yamato landed behind them, Yakumo resting on his back. She slowly hopped off of his back and walked up to the rest of the team. Yamato clapped his hands for attention and addressed them, "Now... Today is our survival training test, to see if you're really worthy of the title of Genin."

"Ain't that's how we passed in the first place?"

At Naruto's interruption, Yamato replied, "That's to select those worthy of becoming Genin... receiving the title is an entirely different story. That's what this mission is for."

Sora was the one to ask, "And that would be?"

"Simple... We have a scroll that needs to be delivered safely to Kusagakure."

The kids all looked at Yamato, who tossed the said scroll in his hand, and raised their eyebrows. Naruto was the first to come to his sense and said, "Come again?"

"You said it was a test... Is this it, then? A delivery mission?"

Naruto shook his head, anger clouding his features as he growled, "That scroll better be important! If I don't get to test my skills out, somebody's getting it!"

Yamato chuckled as he continued juggling the scroll, much to the annoyance of Naruto, "You all seem pretty excited... I did say this was a survival test after all, wasn't it?"

The kids suddenly had a bad feeling as Yamato's grin widened. He pointed over his shoulder, down the long path.

"You see, I'm going to give you this scroll," he stated as he tossed the scroll at Yakumo, who struggled to catch it, "and hide multiple transformed clones throughout the forests and pathways... like the one you're speaking to now."

The man suddenly began fading to a brown color, slowly becoming wood.

"You have to deliver this scroll to Kusagakure...and I'm going to stop you... I hope you all packed for a long mission, because the real ninja world starts here."

* * *

Trivia:

-Naruto and co. are 10. The reason being that Gaara, the youngest Kazekage, was 15 when he was chosen, so Itachi didn't actually get official control of the position until recently. This also keeps Naruto and co. at a younger age than in canon.

-Naruto and Sasuke haven't switch places in the emotion department. Naruto is mostly the same, just more rude and less loud. Sasuke still hates and plans to kill 'Madara' some day. The reason naruto is like this is because Sarutobi's dead, which means he and Kakashi never convinced Iruka to accept Naruto, which means he ignored Naruto. Thus, Naruto has no friend-talk-no-jutsu. This is also the reason Kurenai is teaching the class and not Iruka. She, however, is promoted, which is why Squad Eight stood behind.

-Naruto and Sasuke tend to hang out at the top of the Hokage Building. This is based as many other character's friendships/rivalries (Sarutobi and Danzo, Hashirama and Madara) always depict them sitting high above the village somewhere.

-Due to Kushina's absence and Sasuke's friendship, Mikoto has taken up the role of being Naruto's mother. This is for two reasons: the first being she feels its her right since Kushina's gone. The second is important to Itachi:

The canon states that Jinchuriki created are related to the Kage to keep them in check. Since he's related to Minato, and Sarutobi treated him like a grandson, Mikoto and Itachi have taken to unofficially adopting him to do the same.

-Yakumo and Sora are both from the anime fillers. Since this is depicting a more realistic war scene, Naruto is being slightly geared towards being a weapon by Itachi, but without the unemotional attachments that he is usually depicted with in fictions. Therefore he was placed on a team with other weapons-like characters. Yamato was selected as their captain because he could control them with Hashirama's genes.

-Instead of a training test, like Kakashi did, Yamato turned a mission given to him into an actual test, which is to deliver a scroll to Kusagakure while he tries to kill them.

-"The real ninja world starts here." is a pun on Dark Souls/Demon's Souls famous quote, "The real Dark Souls starts here.", which means that the world/game gets difficult from this point on.


	3. Enemy Contact

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"So mother, I take it Sasuke has given you the news?"

Mikoto Uchiha eyed Itachi out of the corner of her eye as she continued washing her dishes. She nodded and stated, "I went and watched for myself... He's really come into his own, like Fugaku always wanted."

Itachi nodded, and continued to sip his tea. Mikoto then sighed, placing the last dish on a rack and leaning back against the counter.

"...I guess Naruto didn't pass, huh?"

Itachi looked up at his mother as she walked to the other side of the dinner table, sipping her own tea as she closed her eyes in thought.

"That's what was worrying you? You were afraid Naruto would fail?"

Mikoto opened her eyes and replied, "No... I'm afraid...that he's going to pass."

"That's an odd thing to say, mother. You want him to fail...?"

Mikoto shook her head and denied, "No, not like that... It's just I know what'll happen to him... and Sasuke if they pass... Their hearts have been encased by hatred... I can see it when Sasuke fights... I can see it in Naruto's eyes... They're not friends because they enjoy the other's presence... They are friends because misery loves company, so they say."

"And you're afraid they will lose themselves in revenge? Sometimes, people need hatred to get stronger."

Mikoto sighed, "I know. That's what I fear... That's how Madara and the coup d'etat started... That's why Orochimaru left... I don't want either to turn out the same."

Itachi nodded and continued sipping. Placing his cup down, he stood up and walked towards the door. He paused before exiting and glanced at her from over his shoulder.

"...I know how you feel... That's why I'm doing everything possible to keep them both out of trouble... And you should, too."

* * *

"Alright, let's go!"

Naruto held up his fist as he screamed into the, assuming the motion to begin sprinting.

"Wait!"

Naruto stopped as he turned back to Yakumo, who slowly trudged her way up to him. Sora walked next to her as they grabbed Naruto to keep him from moving.

"This is a team exercise, you dumbass! None of us can make it there on our own... and Yakumo can't keep up. We have to stay together, Naruto!"

Naruto blinked as they held him, his face suddenly molding into anger as he raged, "...I was talking to both of you, smartass!... I'm not an idiot!"

Sora suddenly punched Naruto, who jumped back and kicked him in the face. As the boys fought, Yakumo sighed and moved to calm them down.

"Guys... We have to work together on this... Gu-"

She suddenly stopped and began hacking and wheezing, causing the boys to stop their fighting and rush over to her.

"Yakumo? Are you alright?"

"Hey! Don't get sick and die on me!"

Sora glared at Naruto, punching him again. Before they could start, Yakumo began coughing again, and they both turned their attention to Yakumo. However, they were shocked when she stood up and began dusting her kimono, as she was faking the entire time. She cleared her throat and began chastising them, "Now that I have your attention... Yamato-sensei wants us to work together on this... But he's also trying to get us to learn how to get along, which won't happen if you two keep arguing!"

Both of the young Genin pointed at the other and yelled, "But he's a dumbass/asshole!"

"Please, stop it! We'll be here all day if you two keep fighting!"

Naruto stopped and simply growled at Sora, who did the same in return. However, he began moving close to Yakumo, crouching in front her. She looked down at him in confusion and asked, "What are you doing?"

"You can't move as fast as me, so I'm going to carry you. Now get on my back."

Sora walked over and pushed Naruto's shoulder, attempting to move him as he yelled, "No way, you idiot! You're to weak to carry her! I will!"

Naruto growled, elbowing him and flashing his canine teeth, "You motherfu-"

Yakumo held her hands as she collapsed to her knees, screaming, "No! Stop it!"

* * *

"We'll stop here."

Naruto gently crouched to the forest floor, allowing Yakumo to slowly crawl off of his back. She slowly twisted and turned as she stared at the large forest surrounding them.

"Where are we?"

Sora landed behind them, holding up the map of the area. He squinted his eyes as he attempted to pinpoint their location. He jabbed his finger at a point and cheered, "Hah! We're a fourth of the way to Kusagakure! And we haven't been attacked yet!"

Naruto continued setting up the tents, but looked skeptically over his shoulder to Sora, stating, "He's not here... The real Yamato's in Kusagakure... We've passed at least six of his transformed clones in that last town."

Yakumo and Sora raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic seriousness in his tone of voice. Sora inquired, "How do you know that?"

"...I saw the same face in two different towns... He either didn't pay attention, or wanted to see if we noticed... He's basically giving us two choices: Make it to Kusagakure unharmed, but fight them all at once, or take them out in skirmishes..."

Yakumo and Sora began sweating, and Naruto looked behind him when he heard Yakumo make a soft squeak of fear. However, his eyes looked past her, into the grinning visage of the transformed clone in the bushes. When Yakumo noticed he was looking past her, she barely managed to let out, "...I-Is...he...?"

Yakumo was silent, and her body went numb as she felt the cold steel on her neck.

"It's over."

She closed her eyes and began tearing up, until she felt an arm wrap around her waist, pulling her back away from the clone, which she noted had a large footprint on the side of his face.

"Yakumo, how quickly can you map out this area with your painting?"

She stared as Naruto and Sora landed in front of her, both holding a kunai as they watched the clone rush towards them, two more following behind him.

"...Uhh... I can have it done in two minutes!"

"Then start drawing! Sora, get ready to move on my go!"

Sora narrowed his eyes at Naruto as he grumbled, "Who the hell made you team leader?"

"When you two nearly wet yourselves earlier."

Ignoring Sora's shouts of denial, Naruto took off into a charge, rushing towards the clones as he made a hand-sign and yelled, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

At his command, three clones appeared behind him, each drawing a kunai from their own pouches. Naruto tossed his at the first enemy clone, which ran to the side to dodge. The transformed clone grinned as he went through his own hands-signs, creating the beginning of tree roots beneath the ground.

"Mokuton Hijutsu! Juk-"

He was interrupted by an explosion of smoke behind him, as the kunai revealed itself to be Naruto.

_'A transformation!? Inside a clone jutsu!? I only know one man who utilizes clones like that, and that's-'_

The clone's though process was silenced as Naruto punched him with enough force to break it's artificial neck.

"One down, five to go."

His eyes widened when he sensed another clone, a female with a katana, behind him. He turned, seeing the blade nearly an inch away from his eye, before a gust of wind flew by, and she was blasted away. He looked over at Sora, who made a motion of wiping his hands clean.

"I'm not letting you outdo me!"

Naruto grunted and cleared his mind as he and his own clones rushed towards the third and fourth enemy. He reached over to one, grabbing it and transforming it into a fuuma shuriken, which he tossed at the group. The first fell to it easily, through the second dodged. Naruto's clone burst into smoke, transforming back into itself. The clone screamed out, "I'm not gonna fall for that aga-!"

"Bushin Daibakuha."

A loud explosion cleared a few of the surrounding trees, causing Sora's jaw to drop. Naruto smirked as he balanced a kunai on his finger and cheekily replied to Sora, "You ain't gotta choice... though that explosion was a little bigger than I wanted... I was just aiming for that guy."

"Thanks to me, of course!"

Naruto and Sora turned to Yakumo, who held up a finished drawing of a slightly burned forest. Naruto blinked as he gave a fox-like grin.

"Guess that's the definition of true art, hn, mademoiselle?"

* * *

"So... Where did you learn to fight like that?"

Naruto took his gaze off the flames to look up to Sora, who, like him, sat and poked at the flames of their camp fire. On the other side, Yakumo set up her easel and began painting.

"...I got attacked, once... So Itachi taught me some things to make sure I don't die off of his watch."

Yakumo suddenly stopped painting, and leaned around her easel at Naruto's response.

"...The Hokage? You learned from him?"

Naruto shrugged and continued, "A little... He showed me how to use techniques that used to be really difficult for me..."

"...If I was you, I'd be happy that the Hokage trained me."

Naruto frowned and stood up, yawning as he walked over to his tent, "Yeah, well... He's not all he's cracked up to be."

Sora raised his eyebrows as he watched Naruto crawl into his tent without another word.

* * *

"Damn. I didn't know Naruto was trained so well."

Yamato shrugged as he looked over at Iruka and Mizuki, who stood behind him. They sat in the lobby of the Kusagakure office building.

"He's the figural representation of power throughout the nations... I doubt Itachi would have let him out of Konoha without something to back him up."

Iruka looked over at Mizuki, who nodded as he crossed his legs. He turned back to Yamato and asked, "You still have any clones out there?"

"A couple. I didn't expect the girl to blow the entire forest up... She got rid of most of them."

"...So when do you want us to show up?"

Yamato through his hands up in a slight wave as he replied, "You guys can head out there now, if you want to... Be sure to push them to their limits."

Iruka nodded and looked over to Mizuki, whose mouth twisted into a slight, triumphant smirk as they both flickered away.

* * *

"Lord Orochimaru... the skirmishes along the borders are close to ending. Do you want me to call a retreat for half of them?"

Kabuto pushed his glasses further up the ridge of his nose as he watched Orochimaru. The snake lord looked down at the body of the ninja that was given his cursed seal and turned back to Kabuto.

"Tell them to clean up first before coming back... I don't need any stray Konoha dogs following them home."

Kabuto bowed and left the room. Orochimaru grinned as the dark voice appeared behind him.

"...The Kyuubi Jinchuriki is in that area, Orochimaru."

When Orochimaru said nothing, the masked figure appeared behind him, looming over him.

"...Scheme all you want, Orochimaru... But as long as you wear the robes of Akatsuki, you will do as I say... If that boy is killed...you, and everything that could keep you alive, will burn to ashes."

* * *

"Alright... We gotta keep moving... Sora, put the fire out."

The three Genin gathered up their items as they prepared to leave. As Sora released the tents, Yakumo watched as Naruto quietly gathered his things and walked out of sight.

"...What's with Naruto...?"

Sora looked over his shoulder as Naruto's form receded into the bushes. He shrugged and moved back to place the last tent in his pack and stated, "Who knows? I don't really care."

Placing his items on a shoulder, he crouched over to Yakumo as she climbed on his back.

"Hey, Naruto! We're leaving!"

* * *

_"...Naruto..."_

_Naruto looked down at the sunken, dark waves of the sewer as he stared into a large cage. Before long, a pair of dark red eyes and wide, feral teeth appeared out of the darkness and grinned down at Naruto._

_"...What do you want...?"_

_Naruto glared up towards him, crossing his arms and growling out, "You know what I want... I wish we could stop with these games, Kyuubi."_

_The beast roared in amusement, its tails banging and colliding against the cage and walls. As Naruto angrily kicked at the waters, the towering monument of Chakra finally calmed itself, and leered down at Naruto._

_"You know I'm not going to do that, Naruto... You don't deserve it..."_

_Naruto's features became darker by the second, and he screamed as he ran towards the cage. However, something broke his concentration as he was nearing the steel bars..._

"Hey, Naruto! We're leaving!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and turned around as Sora and Yakumo entered the clearing behind.

"...Dude, stop meditating... We gotta go!"

Naruto held a gaze towards them before nodding and leaping into the trees, his teammates following behind him.

* * *

"...Mizuki... Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Mizuki glared over his shoulder as Iruka leaped behind him through the trees.

"You getting' second thoughts, Iruka? I thought you wanted to avenge your parents, idiot!? Man up!"

Iruka frowned and replied, "I know... but this seems too underhanded... and Yamato'll kill us if he found out."

"Don't worry about it, Iruka... I got a place for us after it's done.

Iruka nodded, but Mizuki could still read the uncertainty in his eyes. He sighed, "Iruka, don't worry... We'll make it quick... And you can look away."

Iruka sighed, but said nothing as he continued to follow Mizuki through the forest.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune dies tonight."

* * *

Naruto frowned as he stopped on a branch. Sora stopped in front of him and looked over to him, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Somebody's coming!"

Yakumo gasped as she looked all around her. Sora's eyes went wide and Naruto's widened as he moved towards the two.

"Is it another clo-?"

"Move!"

The branches they left behind suddenly exploded, and Naruto crashed into the ground, both Yakumo and Sora sliding across the ground and kicking up dust. The three hacked and coughed as the dust caught in their lungs.

"Sh-Shit! Yamato's going all out!"

Soon, a crowd of ninja, all dressed in purple and black camouflage, formed a circle around them, and Naruto laughed as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Man... Really, Yamato-sensei? You need to chill out!"

Naruto's laugh, however, abruptly ended when he saw the headbands on the ninja.

"...A...sound note?"

_"A squad of Chunin, led by Tokubetsu-Jonin Hayate Gekko, came in contact with foreign ninja at the border of the lands of Fire and Hot water!"_

_Itachi narrowed his eyes as he grounded out, "What is the identification of the enemy village...?"_

_"We don't know... But they have sound notes on their headbands..."_

Naruto's eyes widened and he cursed, "Shit."

The leader of the squad began screamig out orders, "These Genin are only a distraction! Team Utaime! Move out and search for any hidden Konoha forces! Team Gasshoutai, clean up!"

"Sora! We have to split them up!"

Sora and Yakumo, however, didn't answer to the orders, and stood frozen in fear. Naruto moved towards him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Wake the hell up! Yakumo can't move fast enough, so it's your job to keep watch of her! You have to move now!"

Sora woke from his stupor and glared at Naruto, "What are you doing!? We have to stick to-!"

Naruto grabbed him and pulled him to his face, yelling, "Then we'll all die! Get off your ass and come on! To the trees!"

At that moment, Naruto and Sora leaped into the air, above the exploding waves and into the treetops. They hopped through them, rapidly weaving through multiple kunai and shuriken as they noticed a clearing up ahead. As they took cover behind a tree, Naruto began ordering, "Don't go in the open! From here, we split off!"

Before Naruto could make a sharp left, Yakumo grabbed him and pulled him back, much to his disarray.

"What the hell!?"

He turned to her and glared until he noticed the wetness in her eyes. His mouth hung open in confusion as she began, "Naruto..."

"Uhh... Yakumo? Wha-?"

"I'm sorry for causing you and Sora so much trouble... I wish you didn't have to carry me around..."

Sora began protesting immediately, "Hey! Don't act like that!"

"He's right. We're not going to sacrifice you to escape. No one gets left behind."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, as she began wailing and Naruto deadpanned.

_'I thought I sounded pretty cool...'_

"...Just don't die! I wouldn't be able...to keep living if either of you died because of me!"

Naruto look down as he felt the enemy ninja close in on their position. He closed his eyes and turned away as he prepared to take off.

_We don't know what kind of people we truly are until the moment before our deaths._

"...It's situations like these that matter the most in a ninja's career... So if this is the end for me, then I'm glad I got to meet you both..."

Yakumo watched as Naruto dashed into the leaves, followed by a number of enemies. She whispered out to the air, "...If you don't come back... I won't forgive you, idiot."

* * *

Trivia

-Naruto was trained by Itachi, so he uses a large number of clone techniques and such, and is able to mix them with transformations to confuse enemies. The attack he refers to isn't a typical 'villagers beat Naruto' thing, but is something important later own in the story. This is why he seems to have a basic grasp of situations as compared to the other two, as they were raised hidden in a temple/manor.

-The reason for Naruto's dislike of Itachi will be revealed soon.

-Obviously shown, Naruto does know about the Kyuubi. The reason he knew about the clones was also because of Kyuubi.

-I picked Yakumo as a character because of her weakness. It sorta forces them into a team-working position, as they have to keep and eye on her/babysit her. Whether she becomes Naruto's love interest or not depends on whether I decide to add romance to it, but she does have an extreme admiration for him, like every previous female in similar teams (Sakura to Sasuke, Rin to Kakashi, etc.). Sora's and Naruto's relationship are more like Sarutobi's and Danzo's, where the cheerful one is the strong prodigy instead of last, and vice versa.

-Itachi never joined Akatsuki, so Orochimaru is still a member.

-Utaime's Japanese for 'Songstress', while Gasshoutai is japanese for "Chorus".

-About Naruto's abilities, I plan on basing his skills from Kyuubi, as the skills Jinchurikis use are closely related to their beasts. So he keeps his clones and such, due the trickery and conniving natures of Kitsune's in Japanese folklore. He will learn Rasengan, but many other destructive techniques as well, but he'll use clones more often.


	4. A Child's Life on the Battlefield

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Oto-Ryu! Kenbu Ryodan!"

Naruto ducked under the sword-wielding enemy and kicked him, using him as leverage to move further up the tall trees. He ran across the trunks of the trees, using a trail of shuriken to dodge an incoming fireball. He gripped the last one and threw it back towards one, nailing him in the eye. The last two closed in on him, one holding his arms up for an attack.

"You're finished, loser! Z-"

However, Naruto rebounded off of one tree and dashed at him with his fist raised, punching the ninja towards the ground. The other chased after Naruto, who followed his target to the ground. The sword-wielder intercepted Naruto as he neared the ground and stabbed him. He was surprised when the boy disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"A-A shadow clone!? When did he-?"

He was cut off as Naruto pierced his spine with his kunai, and pushed him towards the ground. Naruto then flipped off of him as he landed in the clearing with the enemy he punched.

"It's you and me, buddy... Once I get rid of you, I'll get back to my friends."

The enemy grimaced, and Naruto, for the first time, realized the boy appeared to be close to his age. He had spiked, brown hair and a headband similar to Yamato. The other boy growled and held his hands up, stating, "If I know anything about Dosu, he won't let those bastards escape. And neither will I! Zankuha!"

Unlike before, Naruto actually was able to witness the attack, and it sure surprised him. He barely rolled out of the path of the large sound blast, destroying the tree behind him.

_'The hell was that? How did that guy pack that much into one explosion?'_

"Heh, you scared, punk? You better be!"

Naruto landed on his feet and made a cross-sign with his fingers, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

A small group of ten Naruto clones appeared after the burst of smoke, and they all rushed towards the enemy boy, who smirked and called out, "Write this down in your diary, idiot! I'm telling you that ya have no chance against the great Zaku Abumi! Zankuha!"

Naruto and his clones were instantly blasted away, though Zaku noted there was a lack of blood in the area.

"Where ya hidin, scaredy cat!? I thought Konoha ninjas were made of tougher stuff than that!"

Naruto hid behind a tree and watched as the boy circled around the clearing, attempting to draw him out by goading him.

_'That move's too powerful... I can't let something like that hit me... I'm on my last legs here...'_

"Fine! If you don't wanna come out, then I'll force you!"

Naruto peeked around the trunk and noticed the boy aiming his palms outwards. He narrowed his eyes when he could see the chakra rolling off of him as he prepared to release an extreme attack.

"Damn."

"Zankukyokuha!"

* * *

"Sora! Look out!"

Sora dodged the incoming needle, but suddenly felt himself getting sick. He then tripped over a branch and went hurdling towards the ground, crashing into it hard. Yakumo flew past him, landing in a heap in front of him. Hearing his groans of pain, she asked, "Sora! Are you alright!?"

When she turned around, she noticed he was hunched over, vomiting on the forest floor. She ran up to help him, but stopped when a needle appeared right in front of her. She gazed as a feminine figure, dressed in camouflage with a green shirt, landed behind Sora.

"Where do you think you're going, weakling...?"

"Kin. Don't play with our enemy like that... We can't allow these foes to escape, or we'll ruin everything."

Yakumo eyes widened as she turned around, seeing a horrible, mummy-like ninja jump down from his perch in the tree. The female laughed and replied, "Come on, Dosu... You heard that blonde back there... She's the weakest, and this one's down for the count."

"He's not out yet."

Kin looked down and lightly chuckled as she watched the boy struggle to stand on his feet. He held his right arm and glared at the girl.

"Don't think it's over yet! I got someone I need to save after this..."

The woman smirked as she reached into her pouch for another needle, "That blondie? He's probably long dead by now."

Sora gestured for Yakumo to move closer as they stood back-to-back, facing the opposing Genin. Kin slowly rolled the needle between her fingers while Dosu raised his sleeve on his right arm, revealing a large piece of equipment. Sora's hand gripped the bandages on his right hand and he glared at it. He whispered, "Yakumo... don't be afraid..."

"I'm not scared, idiot. I'm not going to die here and neither are you or Naruto."

Sora gritted his teeth and grounded out, "...I meant my arm..."

Yakumo huffed and glanced over her shoulder at Sora, who gripped his bandages tighter and ripped them off in one pull.

"What are yo-?"

Her eyes widened, along with the enemy's, as they all gazed at his demonic arm, equipped with sharp claws and covered in orange fur. He growled angrily, his eyes flashing red, as he thrust his arm forward, screaming, "Juha Reppu Sho!"

A gigantic blue claw flashed, rushing towards Dosu as he had little time to dodge it.

* * *

Naruto stood in the newly-made crater, his clothes tattered and torn as he smirked at Zaku. The other boy's face held astonishment at the blonde's grin.

"What are you smiling about, dumbass!? I just totally wrecked you!"

Naruto closed his eye, replying, "That was good...but I've seen your trump card... You put everything you had into that... Considering I'm not dead, you ain't got anything left..."

Zaku growled, "We'll see about that! Zanku-"

He was interrupted by a group of feet kicking him up into the air. As he floated upwards, he grimaced when he watched the incoming heel of the Konoha Genin sending him crashing towards the ground. He used a reverse handstand and flipped himself back up. As Naruto moved to land on the ground, he pressed his palms into the ground.

"Take this!"

Naruto slipped on the softening mud as his feet touched the ground, causing him to fall backwards.

"Shit!"

Zaku grinned and dashed forward, launching his fist into Naruto's stomach, yelling, "Zankuha!

The blonde's eyes widened as the sound-enhanced fist went clean through his stomach, blasting a hole through the other side.

"Told ya... You never stood a chance."

He celebrated for a moment, but his face transfigured into shock when the boy in front of him faded into black smoke.

"Kemuri Bushin no Jutsu."

"This kid's full of these goddamned clones! How the hell does he pull them off so fast!?"

Zaku coughed as he attempted to wave away the smoke. Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind and the smoke cleared. Coughing his last moments, he look into the eyes of the blonde, who held his fist up. Zaku's eyes popped out of his skull when he saw the pale violet chakra encasing his hand. He reared back as the fist moved closer to his chest.

"...Zankuha...!"

Zaku stared blankly ahead, blood dripping from his dry lips as his own technique blew through his chest, eradicating his heart completely. He gazed into the eyes of his killer, and his harsh features relaxed into relief as he allowed himself to stumble to the ground.

_'...Not bad...idiot...'_

He glanced up as the blonde stood over him, gripping his fists tightly as he held a stern gaze down at his fallen foe.

"...I'll have to thank you for demonstrating that technique to me _multiple_ times..."

Zaku closed his eyes and breathed his last. Naruto stood for a moment before turning on his heel, limping towards the distant explosions in the forest.

"That was pretty good, though... a battle to remember, Zaku Abumi..."

"Naruto!"

At the sound of his name, he glanced over his shoulder as two Chunin landed behind him.

"...Mizuki-sensei? Iruka-sensei? What are you two doing here?"

Iruka walked up to Naruto and glanced down at the body of the Genin. He looked at Naruto and then back towards the body.

"We were here as a part of Yamato's test, but now that we've found you this, we gotta get you back to Konoha, ASAP. Where's your teammates?"

Mizuki pointed to the leafy outcrop in the distance as a giant, blue hand palmed the earth, causing a quaking as he answered, "Probably over there... Iruka, go get them before they get into any more trouble."

"Lemme... Lemme go with you...! I need to..."

Mizuki grabbed Naruto's shoulder, holding him back from following Iruka as he moved to leave.

"You gotta stay here with me... Let me patch up your wounds first before you run off, Naruto."

Naruto held a glaring contest with Mizuki before relaxing and turning back in the direction of his teammates. Unbeknownst to him, Mizuki had pulled out his kunai, and slowly began inching to Naruto's back. Iruka, who had not left the area, quickly turned around and screamed, "Naruto, move!"

Right before Mizuki could stab him, Iruka swiftly moved between them, blocking the stab with his bare hand. Naruto had fell back on his rear as his eyes expanded.

"What the!?"

"Iruka!? What are you doing!? We're supposed to be ridding the village of the Kyuubi!"

Naruto began crawling back away from them, unaware of the scroll falling out of his pack. Iruka looked back towards Naruto, then turned to Mizuki, "...This isn't right, Mizuki..."

"You fool!"

"It's not just about Naruto, though! I... I still fear him... I see him, and I think everyday...that he's a ticking time bomb...waiting to explode."

Mizuki growled and pushed his kunai deeper into Iruka's hand, causing him to cry out.

"Foolishness, Iruka... Why are you protecting him, then?"

Iruka gritted his teeth, and replied, "It's the way we treat him... If we continue like this, he will become the Kyuubi!"

"That's why we're to kill him before that happens... Lord Orochimaru wills it."

Iruka frowned and punched Mizuki, causing him to slide back as he yelled, "And I won't follow that man, either! Mizuki, you're the fool, for thinking that you can kill the Jinchuriki and get away with it! If you kill him, you'll ruin the balance of power! A war will start, and that's worse than the Kyuubi!"

Mizuki's face held no expression, and his hair curtain over his face as he simply stated, "...I couldn't care less."

He raised his hand, creating a signal. Soon, a large crowd of Sound Ninja appeared, and moved to rush down Iruka and Naruto, who continued to crawl away.

"...They're both expendable. Get rid them for Lord Orochimaru."

"Not so fast!"

Naruto's eyes widened as the scroll flashed, and he watched as Yamato appeared out of it, yelling out, "Mokuton! Mokujoheki!"

A large, wooden dome appeared around Yamato, Iruka, and Naruto as the Sound Ninja crowded up to it.

"Yamato-sensei!? You were with us the whole time?"

"...Of course... I had to make sure neither one of you truly died... You're just lucky that you took me from Yakumo's pack."

Naruto frowned as he remembered taking it from her when he grabbed her waist and pulled from the battle with the clones.

_'He's been with us the whole time? And the Kyuubi didn't sense him?'_

Iruka began stuttering as he saw Yamato, "Ya-Ya-!"

"Save it... I knew something was off when you both offered to do this mission... I switched with the scroll because I was waiting for one of you to slip up."

Iruka grimaced and looked to his feet.

"You're gonna have a long talk with the Hokage when we get back, Iruka..."

"...I know... But let me help first... I have to stop Mizuki with my own hands."

Yamato looked skeptically at him over his shoulder, claiming, "How can I trust you to do that, Iruka?"

Iruka frowned, but held his head high as he narrowed his eyes in determination, "Because he's my friend...and I'm responsible, no matter how low he's fallen."

Yamato simply looked at him, but addressed Naruto, "Go to Sora and Yakumo... I'll be with you three soon."

Naruto woke from his stupor and nodded, rising up and taking off to his squad mates. Iruka deadpanned as he commented, "...You still don't trust me, Yamato?"

"Nope."

* * *

On the other end of the clearing, out of view from Dosu and Sora, Yakumo held her notebook to her chest as she watched multiple clones of the girl circle around her.

"You're so pathetic... Stalling...waiting for your teammates to help you... Weaklings like you die on the battlefield..."

Yakumo smirked as she smugly noted, "And you're no different... I can see beyond your simple Genjutsu... Without that, you're nothing."

Kin growled, "You think you're the same as me or something!? You're not worth shi-!?"

Kin was suddenly cut off when the girl's face began transfiguring. She gazed into the sunken, hollowed eyes of a dark, horned monster. Kin's eyes widened as the monster's visage stretched wide, due to the large, eerie grin on its face.

_"You don't look so good... Please...don't be afraid..."_

The sound Genin felt her skin slowly numb itself, and she screamed as her vision lost its light, as only the darkness awaited her...

* * *

"Kin!?"

"Juha Sho!"

Dosu rolled out of the way as he dodged the incoming air blade.

_'Did Lord Orochimaru give this kid a cursed seal!? I can't even get a hit in! He has me on the defensive!'_

Dosu thrusted his arm forward to block the incoming claws of Sora as he heard the scream. He grimaced and retreated away from the boy.

"...Damn those idiots for dying... Looks like I'll have to retreat..."

Sora growled as he reached to grab him again, "No you don't!"

However, the boy suddenly burst into smoke, and Sora watched as Naruto rolled through it, coughing as he crashed into the ground.

"Damn! My awesomeness scared him away!"

Sora's face began twitching as he grabbed Naruto's collar, pulling him towards his face as he began screaming at him.

"You son of a bitch! That was my opponent! Stop trying to show off!"

Naruto pouted his lips as he narrowed his eyes at him, "I'm starting to think you really like being in my face..."

Outraged, Sora tossed Naruto over his shoulder and began shouting obscenities, "I hope you choke on your saliva and die!"

"Dude, that's harsh."

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he rose up from the ground.

"Naruto! You're alive!"

At the sound of the sudden outburst, he turned and caught Yakumo as she ran over to him and and jumped into his arms. He began swinging her around as she cheered. Sora raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"...How did she run so fast?"

As she began falling, causing both her and Naruto to land in a pile, he watched as her notepad fell out of her pack, and slide to his feet. He picked it up and looked at the page that it landed on, which was a painting of the three grouped together, with Yamato in the background. He watched the two ten-year-olds enjoying themselves, as if there was nothing to be worried about, and smiled as he ran to them.

* * *

Itachi gazed up from his paperwork as Komachi stepped in the office. In her hand, she held a scroll, which she dropped in front him. He grabbed it, noting that it had been opened.

"...What is this? Why is it already opened?"

"Yamato sent it back that way... Apparently, Team Nine has officially passed..."

Itachi nodded as he leaned back into his chair, sighing, "I didn't expect that team to fail..."

"However... What we have found it is that there were a pair of traitors on that mission, and that the team was attacked by the Hidden Sound remnants from the border."

The Godaime cursed as he jumped from his seat, which cause Komachi to hold her hand out and push his chest, sending him back into his seat.

"They passed, meaning they lived, idiot... But apparently, we know a former Konoha ninja that's particularly close to Otogakure, maybe their leader..."

The Uchiha closed his eyes as asked, "And who would that be?"

"Orochimaru."

* * *

Trivia

-"Oto-Ryu- Kenbu Ryodan" is Japanese for 'Sound Style/Stance- Sword Dance Bisection'

-"Juha Sho" and "Juha Reppu Sho" are 'Beast Tearing Palm' and 'Beast Tearing Gale Palm'.

-The reason Naruto is able to use Zankuha is that he's pushing Kyuubi's chakra out of his systems instead of air holes.

-The reason Squad Nine never sensed Yamato is because he was suppressing their demonic influence.


	5. Break My Chain

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Mikoto! Lemme go!"

"Noooo! I almost lost my third child! Mommy will _never, ever_ let you go again!"

Yamato and Iruka watched in amusement as Naruto pressed his foot against his surrogate mother's face, attempting to push her away. The struggling continued for a few moments before Naruto finally broke free and took off into a sprint, escaping out of the door. Mikoto rushed after, holding her hand out to swipe at his shoulder, though she missed.

"Wa-Wait! Naruto! Come back!"

Mikoto's shoulder's slumped as she watched him leap above the rooftops and out of sight. She turned back to Yamato and Iruka, exasperating, "Why does my son not love me so!?"

"...It doesn't seem like he likes you very much."

Mikoto sighed, walking over to her shelf and reaching for the tea package at the top.

"He does, he's just not used to me yet... I only began looking out for him two years ago... You know..."

Yamato finished, "After the Sandaime was killed?"

Mikoto nodded. She poured the tea into a cup, glancing at the other occupants as she asked, "Would the both of you like some tea?"

Iruka shook his head, and Yamato scratched the back of his head in a nervous manner. He said, "Nah... I'm just here to report to the... family... I guess?"

He felt extremely awkward when Mikoto held him tightly with her stern, strong-willed glare, keeping him locked in place from her frightening eyes.

"...Are you questioning if I'm his family or not? Do not disrespect my relationship with my third child..."

He jumped back as he waved his hands in front of him, panicking, "N-No ma'am! I...didn't mean it like that! I just... I-"

He stopped as she began laughing, "I was kidding with you! Don't get your panties in a bunch!"

Yamato sighed in relief, but suddenly his chest tightened back as she began glaring again, "But seriously, don't question that again," she stated, then switched back to her cheerful mood, "Now, how did Naruto do?"

* * *

Sasuke sat on the Hokage tower, overlooking the entire village as he snacked on a rice ball. He sat there for a few minutes before sighing and moving to stand, pausing when he noticed another pair of legs next to him.

"Heh, have you really sat out here waiting for me to come back, Sasuke? You must have been quite lonely."

Sasuke growled and punched Naruto in the shoulder, denying, "I wasn't waiting for you, dumbass. I've always came up here..."

"...Yeah, when you were lonely and needed me to talk to," Naruto said, and much to Sasuke's annoyance, while he taunted smugly, "It's okay if you missed me, Sasuke... No need to feel ashamed..."

"Go to hell."

Naruto laughed and sat next to him, taking Sasuke's last rice ball much to his disarray. Taking a bite out of it, he ignored Sasuke's angry glare and continued eating.

"...But now that I think about it, you do the same, Naruto. You only come here when you're feeling down."

The boy in question didn't reply, and instead, sighed and turned away. Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he continued, "...Stop keeping it locked up, dumbass. You'll explode if you keep it inside you."

"...Did your mother tell you to say that when she sent you up here? You have the emotional range of a teaspoon... There's no way you'd ever say something that emotional..."

"Idiot."

Naruto chuckled, but it was empty, hollowed sound. However, he clapped his hands together and finally answered, "...I failed."

At Naruto's words, Sasuke blinked and he asked, "Your survival test? You failed?"

* * *

_"I'm proud of you all... You guys did good."_

_ At once, all of the kids cheered, "Thanks, Yamato-sensei!"_

_ "You guys handled yourselves against the Sound force in a way that many Chunin wouldn't be able to. But... I'm sorry to say that only two of you passed the exam."_

_ All of the children's eyes widened, and Naruto jumped up immediately, "Now I know Yakumo could barely move, but she contributed just as much as the rest of us! We all worked together!"_

_ "What Naruto said!"_

_ Yakumo looked at the two boys immediately jumping to her defense, and she felt like she had __accomplished something, even though she felt the same as them._

_ "I know... and so did Sora... You didn't pass, Naruto."_

_ Iruka, sitting on the other side of them, felt extremely awkward at the silence that followed. Naruto blinked at Yamato, who stared blankly in return._

_ "...What...? I... I don't understand..."_

_ "...Naruto, you did a good thing in breaking off... You led them as well as a Jonin... But you messed up at one point..."_

_ Naruto said nothing as he tried to think about what he did wrong._

_ "You had the vital intel in your back pocket... Why would you split off from the group to fight?"_

_ "I-I had to get them away from those two! I couldn't ju-"_

_ Yamato stood and towered over Naruto, who fell back on the ground in fear as the man said, "I understand that, Naruto... But you had the scroll with you... You can't pull stunts like that with vital intel on hand... You should have given the scroll back to your squad... or finish the mission on your own."_

_ "...Finish the mission on my own!? You wanted me to sacrifice them for the mission!?"_

_ As Naruto began screaming at Yamato, he grabbed the front of Naruto's vest and held him in front of him as he yelled, "You think you're some kind of hero!? Ninjas who pull stunts like that are the ones that are KIA'd! You don't sacrifice yourself if it does not help the cause! Until you can learn to trust your teammates and stop trying to coddle them like infants, you will always fail!"_

* * *

"...Apparently, I'm too rash..."

"...Did you now just figure that out, idiot?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, who stood up and dusted his pants off.

"...You're good, Naruto... but you lack socialization."

"...The goddamned pot calling the kettle black!"

Sasuke kicked Naruto in the chest and continued, "I'm serious... You're bad at accepting help... You've always wanted to do everything on your own... You have to think about your team before everything else... 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash'."

"...When did you learn counseling?"

"Never. Just had a good teacher."

* * *

"...We were defeated! By graduate three ten-year-olds, Lord Orochimaru! Please, Lord Orochimaru, allow us to receive the cursed seal!"

Orochimaru stared at Dosu for a second, before the boy exploded into blood, his lifeless corpse collapsing onto the ground.

"...You failed, Mizuki."

"They had the Kyuubi brat! And the Jonin with the genes of the Shodai Hokage, Yamato!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he heard the last part.

"Genes of the first... My experiment?"

Suddenly, his lips stretched into a wide grin, and he smirked down at the group in front of him.

"Well... That's too bad, Mizuki. I had hoped you would succeed... You promised me a successful mission..."

"Wait! Lord Orochimaru, I-"

The same thing happened to him, and Orochimaru watched as his snakes moved to feast on the remains. He smiled until he felt a large source of power behind him.

"...You will not make a move... You have already disappointed me with your insubordination, Orochimaru... The man with the genes of Hashirama belongs to me..."

* * *

"Good work, Yamato... I expected nothing less."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"

Itachi nodded and went back to his paperwork. He did notice, however, that Yamato never left, and still stood their uncomfortably.

"...Is there anything else?"

"...Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Itachi nodded and waved for him to continue.

"...I know you watched over Naruto... Why are you not... angry that he failed?"

Itachi sighed, "I'm actually glad you failed him. Many ninja have went astray because they were too overconfident... Better safe than sorry."

"So what about Yakumo and Sora?"

"Move them to Kurenai Yuhi's and Asuma Sarutobi's teams for now... Continue to watch over them..."

Yamato nodded and turned to leave the Hokage's office. Itachi watched him walk away, and sighed, rubbing the newly-made headache. He felt his brother's chakra getting closer, and he sighed as he knew it was going to get worse.

"...Sasuke."

He swiveled in his chair to his brother, sitting in the window of his office.

"...Naruto must have told you..."

"He did."

Itachi closed his eyes, waiting for Sasuke's anger to come forth. He counted down the seconds until he exploded in rage.

"...Are you going to defend him?"

"Switch him with Sai."

Out of all the things he was expecting, he didn't think that Sasuke would request him to be on his team.

"Sai Shin has successfully passed. Switching a Genin and Genin-in-training would be ridiculous. I'm sorry, but Naruto's going to have to wait for another team."

Sasuke grunted, and left his office in a burst of smoke. Itachi sighed again and leaned back in his chair.

"...If Orochimaru's behind this... then 'he' would be nearby... If we're going to war with the Sound, then Naruto needs to stay behind."

* * *

Naruto kicked a pebble away from him as he stumbled back to his apartment. He glanced over by the riverside, where a Jonin-sensei was giving a speech to his students. He sighed and continued walking. He slowly dragged himself up his stairs and moved to his door. Naruto pushed the door open after unlocking it and moved to his kitchen, preparing to make some ramen. He turned around and froze as he saw a man in his window, his single eye piercing through his body and spreading fear through his blood.

"Hello, Naruto. We've never met, have we?"

The man was dressed in black robes, with red clouds on them. A hood shadowed most of his face, but Naruto saw the orange spiral mask and Sharingan eyes as clear as daylight.

"That smells wonderful. Mind if I have it?"

Naruto watched as the cup zoomed out of his hands, flying towards the man's eye before disappearing.

"...You-You're the man... that killed the old man!"

The man leaned forward on the window sill, baring holes into Naruto's form as he spoke, "How do you know about that? The only man who would know... would be Itachi..."

Naruto gritted his teeth and growled, "I went to visit the old man... I saw it in his crystal ball..."

"...Really? That's interesting... Interesting... So you have a... a small bit of knowledge about me... I can also see that tiny bit of hatred inside of you... Then again, that might be the Kyuubi. He's not to happy to see me, now is he?"

Naruto's furious expression changed into one of shock as he questioned, "How...? How...did you...?"

"These Sharingan eyes... can see beyond that of the Kyuubi. I could try and force him out... However, that would draw attention to me."

"What do you want with me...whoever you are!? Why are you here!?"

"Me...? You may call me Tobi. I'm not here to hurt you... yet," Tobi stated simply, much to Naruto disarray, "I'm just wondering... if you are going to sit here when the war starts?"

"...War?"

"Yes. You did kill many Oto Ninja... They are allied to the Hidden Cloud... If there are anymore skirmishes close to that border, Kumogakure might intervene... You'll be the cause of war... As matter of fact, you already are."

Naruto tightened his fists as his eyes widened, "A war... because of me?"

"Really... It's actually because of the fox. Itachi and Yamato locked you away because of the fox... That is their biggest fear. Once the spies catch wind of your imprisonment, Konoha's history... Are you really going to sit here while that happens?"

Naruto looked down, as if he felt the weight of a thousand chains locking him in place.

"Are you going to sit there and watch me destroy this pathetic world? You can't avenge Sarutobi in your room, Naruto."

Naruto suddenly rose back up, his eyes glowing red as he growled. Tobi narrowed his as he grinned under his mask.

_'Good boy...'_

"You shut the hell up! I won't let that happen! I'll kill you!"

Naruto dashed at him with his kunai raised high. Tobi sat in silence as Naruto phased through him, breaking through his window and crashing onto the ground. He looked at him over his shoulders and waved.

"Goodbye, Naruto. Enjoy your cage, fox."

Naruto growled as the man faded away. He looked at the surrounding civilians who stood in shock as he yelled at them, "The hell are you all staring at!? Get the fuck away from me!"

He didn't have to tell them twice, as the surrounding populace began to scuttle away, except for a lone brunette in a purple kimono.

"...Naruto?"

However, he didn't hear her as he ran back to his apartment. Mintues later, he broke out of his bedroom window, rushing across the rooftops towards the gate. She gasped, as he was carrying his travel bag from before.

* * *

"...I get the feeling that Naruto is going to do something stupid."

Yamato looked over to Itachi as them teenager paused from his paperwork and glared at nothing in particular. Yamato sighed, "He might be a little over-the-top, but he's not stupid... It'll take some major convincing to get him riled up."

"...No... I felt something... I just hope Naruto-"

"Lord Hokage!"

"Oh, goddamnit!"

Itachi cursed as he heard the shrill voice of the female enter through his office.

"Yakumo? What is the meaning of this!?"

As the girl paused at the door, breathing heavily from her running, she began speaking, "Ya...mato-sen...sei..."

She trailed off as she began coughing. Yamato ran up to her and grabbed as he chastised her, "Don't work yourself too hard! Stop and breathe!"

"No...time...! Naru...Naru..."

Itachi stood up from his desk and walked around it to her as he addressed Yakumo, "What did Naruto do!?"

Yakumo continued panting as she tried to speak,"...Went crazy...got...stuff... left...village...! You have... to get him...!"

* * *

From the top of Itachi's stone face on the mountains, Tobi watched as Naruto sprinted out of the gate, heading in the direction of the Hidden Sound. He began chuckling under his breath as he tossed a rock up-and-down in his hand.

"...Hm... I wonder how many birds I can hit with this stone...?"

He dropped the rock and stood up, disappearing in a twisting vortex, as if he was never there.

* * *

Trivia

-As stated, Naruto failed because he tried to sacrifice himself for Sora and Yakumo when the scroll was with him, basically risking both his teammates and the mission, which makes him 'trash' and 'worse than trash' technically.


	6. Whiplash

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Kakashi? Do you know what this is all about?"

Kakashi looked over to Asuma and shrugged as they walked towards the office of the Hokage. They arrived in the large meeting room, where many Chunin and Jonin were gathered. Itachi stood in the front, with Komachi and Yamato next to his sides. They moved next to Kurenai and Anko Mitarashi, who stood in the back of the room.

"...Kurenai, do you know what happened?"

Anko, supporting herself against the wall with her shoulder, slowly chewed on her dango stick as she replied for Kurenai, "Word says the Nine-Tails brat went AWOL."

Asuma surprisingly dropped his cigarette, and Kakashi closed his book as he heard her.

"What? Come again?"

Kurenai sighed, "He failed his Genin Survival Test... so he ran away from Konoha."

Asuma cursed and bent over to pick up his cigarette. As he pulled himself back up, Itachi began addressing everyone.

"...A good portion of you already know... But if you don't know about the recent events, then listen... Naruto Uzumaki, student-in-training and the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, has left the village."

The room broke out into murmurs, and were instantly quieted when Itachi activated his Sharingan.

"All ninja are to be on the look out for him... Put aside your hatred, lest you wish not to live."

Itachi stepped of his podium and stormed to the exit, followed by his assistant. Yamato walked up to the group and sighed as he shook his head, and commented, "...I knew he would've been disappointed... I never expected him to run away."

"Do you have an idea on where he might go?"

"Not really."

* * *

"Who's that cute little kid?"

"Don't know. He's new in town."

Naruto ignored the many whispers as he walked the streets of the town he arrived in. He walked over to an inn, stepping inside to a modest office, where a middle-aged woman stood at the counter. She looked up from her book as the entrance bell rung and instantly put on a smile.

"Why, hello there, little man! How can I help you today?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as the woman's exaggerated zealousness, but shook his head and reached into his pocket for ryo.

"Just a room for a night."

She handed a set of keys as she commented, "By yourself, kid?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he advised, "It would be best if you didn't ask any questions."

The woman blinked as Naruto walked away from her to the room number on his key. She sighed, "I hope that kid doesn't start any trouble around here..."

* * *

"Oh, god!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he made eye contact with a naked, light-haired brunette woman slamming her hips onto a male below her, and the male glared at Naruto, who yelped as he covered his eyes.

"Get lost, kid!"

Naruto peeked between his fingers as a man, who seemed to be a bodyguard of some sort, slammed the door closed. He stood frozen, his eyes blinking rapidly at the recent events.

"...My eyes see only darkness now..."

Shaking his head, he continued his walk down the hall to a familiar room number. Gazing at his key, he looked back up to the number and nodded.

"Yep. This is the one."

Sighing, he unlocked the door and walked in. The room was very small and spartan, consisting of a bed and small table. He dropped his things on the table and fell back against his bed.

_"You really don't believe the words of that man, do you?"_

_ Naruto looked up into the cage of the Kyuubi, who stared down at him with narrowed eyes._

_ "...No. I might be a little out of control, but I'm not gonna rush into Otogakure like I am now... I need more power, first of all."_

_ "...Do not die to that man... That 'Madara Uchiha'... I will never forgive you if you do."_

_ Naruto smirked and the taunted the frightful beast, "Aww, you scared? Don't worry, kit... Mommy'll keep you safe."_

_ The mass of chakra growled, and Naruto watched unperturbed as the large claw of the monster __landed a mere inches from his head._

_ "Don't tempt me... That man...has more power than you can imagine...Divine power..."_

_ Naruto said nothing as he listened to the Kyuubi. The beast continued, "He and those damned eyes..."_

_ "...I told you... I'm going to kill that man... If you hate him so much, then you need to stop bitching about your chakra and hand it over, so both of us won't die."_

_ The fox growled and turned away, and Naruto sighed as the beast moved back into the shadows._

"Damned fox. Maybe if you would help me..."

Naruto shook his head as he woke from his nap. He stood up and walked towards his door, entering the hallway. At the same time, a door on the other side slammed shut, and he looked over to see the woman from the other night. The woman raised an eyebrow and giggled, and Naruto instantly turned red. Instead of sticking around and being further embarrassed, he dashed towards the other end of the hall and escaped out of the entrance. The woman sat and watched until she felt something slip under her foot. She looked down and noticed the blood flowing from beneath the door, sighing as she chuckled to herself.

"And here I was, thinking it was a clean kill..."

* * *

Naruto sat at a ramen store, rapidly munching down on multiple bowls, much to the owner's chagrin. The man, along with other customers, sat and watched as the boy finished one bowl and held his hand out for another.

"I promise this is my last bowl."

"You said that, like, ten bowls ago!"

Naruto peeked over his bowl, his eyes narrowed as he growled out, "You liar...! I never break my promises... That's my ninja way...!"

"You said that nine bowls ago!"

As Naruto slurped the last of the noodles, every customer lifted themselves from their seats, watching to see if the boy would ask for another bowl.

"Man, that was like his twenty-fifth bowl..."

"You obviously just walked in... He had like, twelve more bowls before that."

However, Naruto set both the bowl and his money on the table as he left. He rubbed his stuff belly as he walked back to the inn. Waving at the woman at the counter, he walked past her and down the hall to his room. However, he was shocked when he stepped in, and the same woman from before sat against his table. She wore an blue jacket, left open to reveal a tube top, and navy-blue pants. She smiled as he walked in.

"...Why are you in my room?"

"I'm here to apologize for what you saw the other night."

Naruto facepalmed as he began to blush again. He pointed out his door and simply said, "Apology accepted. You may leave now."

The woman smiled sweetly and pouted, "But I can't leave yet...!" and seemingly floated over to him and pressed her palm to his cheek, sultrily asking, Maybe you would like the same treatment?"

Naruto gaped and recoiled away, shaking his head as he crossed his arms, "...Alright, outta my room, cradle robber! I'm only ten...! Well, soon to be eleven!"

"...I wasn't talking about the sex."

Before Naruto realized what was happening, he was struck subtly on his cheek.

"What the?"

Rubbing his cheek, his eyes widened when he felt blood running down the side of his face. Looking up, he saw the woman holding a blue whip made of... water?

"You see, my superiors wanted me to find you... Naruto Uzumaki... And I want you, so we can do this the easy way or the the hard way... The choice is yours."

Naruto watched as the whip transfigured into a blade.

"...What's it gonna be?"

* * *

Mikoto watched as Sasuke stood on the rooftop of the compound, gazing far off into the distance. She sighed as she turned back to the picture across from her, which was of her and Kushina when they were both pregnant.

"...He's not going to leave us behind, Kushina... He'll be back... No matter how far he goes, he will always know that his real family's here..."

On the rooftop, Sasuke shook his head as he dropped down to go back inside.

"...Don't worry, Sasuke... He's gonna come back..."

Sasuke grunted, "I know... Cause if he doesn't come back soon, I'm gonna drag that idiot back..."

"...Really, Sasuke?"

Mikoto looked up as Itachi stepped into the house, taking off his Hokage hat as he did so.

"Have you all any leads?"

"No one's gonna find any."

Sasuke growled and stormed back down the hallway to Itachi.

"And why not?"

"Sadly, because I taught him how to hide his tracks, too."

* * *

"Zankuha!"

The woman dodged the air cutter as it blew a hole into the wall behind her, causing those passing by to scream. She smirked in a predatory manner, before slashing her blade and colliding against his fist.

"You're good, little man, but I'm one of Amegakure's finest... You don't stand a chance."

"Did that man in the orange mask send you!?"

Naruto saw the woman's face configure into shock, though it faded just as quickly as it appeared, confirming his suspicions. She switched back to her whip and went to lashing.

'_Fox? If you're there, which I know you are, then you'll help me out a bit...'_

As expected, Naruto heard no response. He backflipped away from her whip attacks and broke through the window, landing on the streets. The woman hopped out after him, her hands flowing through hand seals as she screamed, "Suiton! Suijin Heki!"

Naruto hopped in the air, taking to the rooftops as the streets were flooded with water.

'_Damnit, foxy mama! Wake up!'_

_ "...Don't call me that."_

_ 'Then help me!'_

_ He heard the Kyuubi scoff in his mind, "Against this dumb broad? Please... Call me back when you fight something worth my power."_

Naruto cursed as he was cut off from the Kyuubi again. The woman came down at him with a heavy slash, bisecting him in two.

"Nice clone, but I saw that one coming!"

The clone burst into smoke, and she turned and grabbed Naruto by his face. Smirking, she lifted her water blade and blocked the barrage of kunai flying at her from behind her. She turned and swung her blade with a roar.

"Suiton! Bakusui Shoha!"

She released a wave of water, powerful enough to reduce an entire building into rubble. The entire area was overflowing with water, almost up to her waist, which she climbed on top it.

"I know you're not dead, Naruto... I'm trying to keep you alive, remember?"

At the sound of her voice, she looked as Naruto struggled to lift himself out of the water. He simply floated at the top of the water as he searched for a way to escape. As he did not climb on top of the surface, she gaped as she realized, "...You don't know water walking? That's pretty sad... It makes me feel bad..."

"Nah, I can stand."

Naruto demonstrated by climbing on the water surface and rolling his shoulder.

'_...Kyuubi?'_

_ "You pathetic mongrel, hit her at her weakness."_

_ 'Weakness?'_

_ "She's using her sword for her jutsu, but her actual swordsmanship skills are lacking. Hit her fast while she uses the sword."_

_ 'Where the hell am I gonna get a sword at?'_

_ He heard a sigh in his head as he felt a rush of the demon's energy, "Don't bother me for a week. If I hear another word out of you, I'm cutting off our connection."_

Naruto watched as the familiar red chakra poured out of his skin, melding together in his hand and forging the formless shape of a chakra sword. The woman stared at the red blade and took a step back.

"So the Nine-Tails has given you power, has it?"

Naruto shrugged, "Guess so."

The woman waved her blade, watching as it transformed into a whip. Naruto grimaced as she figured out his advantage over her. She began taking advantage of his lack of swordsmanship skills and began whipping at him, pressuring him back into a wall. Eventually, the blade cracked and he was sent reeling through the wall, crashing into a peddler's stand. The civilians tripped over each other as they moved to find an escape route.

"Come out, Naruto Uzumaki. It's time for me to go, so let's wrap this up quickly."

Naruto watched from behind another stand, and cursed as she walked closer to his position.

"...Damn... I gotta get her to pull that sword back out..."

Naruto grabbed his blade and prepared to run towards the enemy woman.

"Not smart, Naruto. You're mine!"

She flicked her fingers, sending her whip towards Naruto. In the middle of its path, it split into many parts, surrounding Naruto.

"Remember my name, Naruto...as this is the last time we'll ever see each other. Suiton, Suiryuben!"

All of the whips came down upon Naruto, surrounding him in water. The woman walked up to the geyser of water and smirked.

"Heh... My name... It's-"

"Over."

The woman reared back in shock when a red chain whipped across her face. Then... she couldn't feel anything below her waist. She couldn't bear the thought of glancing down, not being able to see her weapons of seduction... She made eye contact with Naruto, who stood with his chakra blade held out at an angle. Her top half fell down, face forward, and she held her gaze with the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. He stared down at her.

"...If it helps you feel any better, you're the first woman I ever saw naked..."

The woman chuckled, a low, empty sound, "...It doesn't..."

"...Then tell me your name, as this is the last time we'll ever see each other."

The woman grinned and closed her eyes, breathing out, "H-Hisame..."

Naruto nodded and turned on his heel, walking away from the scene of death.

"...As much as that confrontation was unwarranted, any ninja deserves a respectful ending, regardless of allegiance. I hope you find it better in the afterlife."

* * *

"...Naruto was spotted last near Takumi Town... We've checked through both the town and the village."

Itachi looked up at Yugao Uzuki as she and her ANBU squad gave her report of the damage at the Land of Rivers.

"...Many of the civilians felt a disturbance of Chakra... it was red. Considering the bisected woman in the center of it all, I'd say he fought to escape."

"...Confusing."

Yugao rose to attention, asking, "What is?"

"A part of me thought he would go to Kumo or Oto... He's not heading in any one of those directions at all..."

"...Sir?"

Itachi shook his head as he dismissed the team. He crossed his arms and swiveled in his chair to the window.

"So you didn't leave to make things worst... You left to make yourself better..."

Itachi sighed as he stood up, preparing to visit his mother.

"Stay alive until we find you, Naruto... Mother would never forgive me if I let her third child die."

* * *

Naruto walked along a soggy and damp path, no really paying attention to his location. He had switched out his vest for an orange jacket, with a white fur collar and billowing sleeves. He thought back to the fight he had with Hisame and the voice that spoke to him during the fight.

_"Don't worry, Naruto... I'm here.."_

That feminine voice was not the Kyuubi...

* * *

Trivia

-The woman, Hisame, is a character from the Protect the Waterfall Village! OVA. When I was looking for a character for Naruto to fight on the Naruto wiki, I came across her and found it interesting that she used the Water Whip (Which Naruto copies with his chakra chains) and was a missing-nin of the Hidden Rain, so I gave her a connection to Akatsuki. I also liked the water sword, so I gave it to both Hisame and Naruto.

-Suiton: Bakusui Shoha is Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave. It's the technique Kisame uses.

-Suiton: Suiryuben is Water Release: Water Dragon Whip. It's used in the first Shippuden movie.

-His jacket is the same as Hisame's, just orange. He also wears it correctly, and not hanging off of his shoulders.


	7. Braving Bloody Waves

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Naruto finally arrived at the next village on his trail. To say the least, the sight of it was very heartbreaking, with ruined buildings and people lying around on its streets. In fact, he had to chase a child that stole his money not too long ago, though he left a little for the poor girl to have.

"...This is depressing."

"You said it."

Naruto turned and his jaws nearly dropped at the teenager in front of him. She had long, dark-brown hair and wore a pink, sleeveless kimono with pale-red trimming. She smiled at him and commented, "You don't meet many kids that travel."

"I'm not a kid... I'm ten!"

The teenager giggled and patted him on his head, "Aren't you a cute little man?"

"Stop it!"

She laughed as Naruto swatted her hand away and stomped away. She quickly caught to him.

"Don't be too mad... That'll get you killed someday."

Naruto turned and glanced at her over his shoulder, asking, "Why are you following me?"

The woman shrugged and replied, "'Cause you're interesting?"

"...Or maybe cause you're interested in something inside me!?"

At Naruto's loud outburst, every villager in the area looked at Naruto awkwardly. The woman blinked and inquired, "Did you just preposition me for sex?"

"Wait, what!? No! You know what I'm talking about! My furry monster thing made of chakra!"

"...Furry monster thing? You're only ten. You shouldn't have a furry monster thing."

Naruto's face began twitching, and he shook his head and yelled, "Not that! Damnit, stop twisting my words! You work for Akatsuki, don't you!?"

"No, I don't. I don't know what an Akatsuki is."

Naruto relaxed slightly, easing up as he narrowed his eyes, "You sure you're not after me...?"

The woman sighed, "Well... I am here to capture you, but not for Akatsuki."

Naruto nodded, and then his eyes widened as he did a double-take, "Wait, what!?"

"I'm here to take you and your furry monster penis."

"Gagghh! Stop saying weird things! Get away from me, creep!"

Before he could leave, something pierced Naruto's neck, and he fell unconscious immediately.

* * *

"...Haku... Never figured you for the date-rape type."

The feminine Haku shrugged and stated, "I saw him in the village... thought you would be interested in him."

Across from Haku, Zabuza Momochi lounged on his couch, the Kubikiri Bocho placed next to him. Haku tossed the body of Naruto onto the ground, and Zabuza commented, "Interested in him? I save you Haku, but I'm not an orphanage... Stop picking up random strays."

"But he could be useful, Master Zabuza. I think one Jinchuriki would have the power to stop another."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and gazed back to Haku. He stood up and walked over to the young boy on the ground and kicked him.

"Wake up."

Haku raised a hand to stop Zabuza from striking Naruto again, "Master Zabuza, please don't hit him. He's in a temporary death state... It will be a while before he wakes."

"No. He's not sleeping. He's looking at me."

Haku barely managed to dodge the red chakra blade, and landed quite a distance away. Naruto bounced back, and his blade clashed into Zabuza's.

"How did he...?"

"He's a Jinchuriki. The beast probably woke him."

Naruto growled as he kicked off Zabuza's blade retreat. Instead, Zabuza reached out and grabbed his ankle, slamming him into the ground.

"Gaggh!"

Naruto flinched as the large blade of the missing-nin embedded itself into the ground next to his head.

"You're a jinchuriki...? Tch, Haku, he doesn't have what it takes to defeat Yagura... Throw him back outside."

"...Yes sir."

Before Haku could grab Naruto, the boy in front of them smirked, and Zabuza's eyes widened as he yelled, "Haku, move!"

"Bunshin Daibakuha!"

The small hideout exploded, sending planks and splinters across the forest clearing. Haku and Zabuza landed on the forest floor, and watched as the Jinchuriki hopped through the tree tops.

"Get Gozu and Meizu! Tell them to track down that brat!"

Haku nodded and disappeared, as Zabuza took off after Naruto.

* * *

"Shit! I shouldn't have let my guard down like that!"

"Nope."

Naruto's eyes popped out of his skull, and he squeaked when he heard the whisper flow throw his ears. He felt a hand grip the back of his head, and he was tossed onto the ground once more. Behind him, Zabuza rolled his neck and shoulders as he lifted his blade up.

"Kid, I'm gonna kill you for that."

Naruto rolled to his feet, his hands gripping his chakra blade. Pulling it back, the chakra molded into a whip shape, becoming a chain, and he swung it towards Zabuza, who watched it rebound off of his body like nothing.

"...Ho-Holy shit!"

"What else do you got? I ain't got all day."

Naruto grimaced and retracted his whip, reforming it into a sword. He dashed off towards Zabuza with a war cry.

"Challenging one of the swordsman with kenjutsu? Kid, you're outta your mind."

Bringing down his blade like a hammer, Zabuza growled as his blade came in contact with Naruto's, who held it over his head to protect him. The Kiri criminal kicked Naruto in the chest, who disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"...Oh? A shadow clone?"

"More than one!"

He looked into the air as a dozen clones of Naruto descended. Zabuza sighed and shook his head.

"Kirigakure no Jutsu."

The area was bathed in mist, and the Naruto clones began cursing.

"Damn! Where'd he go!?"

The real Naruto froze up, as he felt each individual clone's burst of information, which let him know that he was...

"...Right behind you."

Naruto went to move, but felt his something wrap around his neck. As the smoke cleared, Naruto realized that Zabuza held the blade on top of him, his head stuck in one of Kubikiri Hocho's circles, like a guillotine.

"...Shit."

"...There's no point in trying a clone jutsu. Haku and the Demon Brothers are here, and they'll catch you before you can."

Zabuza pushed the blade down on Naruto's shoulders, bringing him to all fours as he held the blade up.

"Master Zabuza."

The man addressed looked over to Haku and the Demon Brothers as they entered the area. His student walked over to them and crouched down to look Naruto in the eye. She then patted him on the head, and laughed as he growled, "Don't touch me, lady!"

When Naruto spoke, the Demon Brothers began snickering, and Zabuza smacked his forehead.

"Not this shit again... Haku! What did I tell you about crossdressing!?"

"To only do it when you needed me to... But, Master Zabuza, I like wearing dresses!"

The Demon Brothers were rolling on the ground, laughing their asses off, and Zabuza sighed. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he began stuttering, "Cr-Cross...dressing?"

Haku smiled as 'she' replied, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you... I'm a boy."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, and then his brain shut down. Zabuza growled when the boy passed out, the edge of the blade barely digging into Naruto's neck.

"Goddamnit, Haku! Stop saying weird things! Just pick him up and take him to the other base!"

* * *

Naruto blinked as he felt water being repeatedly thrown on his face. He woke and caught Haku's arm before he wiped his face again.

"You..."

"I'm just trying to wake you... It's not like I... gave you a bath or anything..."

Naruto said nothing to the other boy's implications. He placed his hand on his forehead and tried to fall back asleep, pretending this was all a bad dream.

"No. Up, now. Master Zabuza wishes for you to see him."

"I don't wanna..."

He felt the other boy grab him and he was pulled away from the bed sheets.

* * *

"So you're a Jinchuriki."

Naruto stood in front of Zabuza. He raised an eyebrow as he noted, "Is this what you do all day?"

"...What?"

"I mean... do you just sit around on a couch, ordering a yaoi trap around all day? That's pretty lame."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and lifted his blade to Naruto's throat. The young boy gulped and stepped back.

"What's a Genin like you doin' away from home...? I didn't see your sensei or teammates insight... I though the villages took better care of their Jinchuriki?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and replied, "Don't call me a Genin. My name is Naruto."

The Demon of Kirigakure leaned back further into his sofa. He rubbed his chin and asked, "Where ya from...? Last time I checked, most of the Biju had been sealed... the only questionable variables are the One-Tail, the Seven-Tails, and the Nine-Tails..."

Naruto stood in silence as Zabuza waited.

"...Unless you're an idiot, you should have known I wouldn't have killed you yet. You're a Jinchuriki... If you die, the village responsible for you is going to war, and that would ruin all of our operations."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, inquiring, "What operations?"

"Don't worry about that right now... What Biju do you hold?"

Naruto said nothing, prompting Haku to grab his shoulder and answer for him, "The Nine-Tails."

Zabuza's eyes widened and Naruto turned to him, "How did you-?"

"You're 'furry monster thing'," which caused to Naruto to groan as Haku continued, "Neither the Ichibi, nor the Nanabi have fur... the first is made of sand and the seventh is an insect... Not to mention you have whisker marks on your face."

Suddenly Zabuza began laughing, and the boys turned to him as he continued.

"This is great! We could definitely use you!"

Naruto growled and tossed Haku's hand off, "I'm not a damned weapon! Don't talk to me like this idiot here!"

Haku glared at Naruto as he moved to hit him, though was stopped in his tracks by Zabuza.

"You don't belong to a village, do you? From what I take, you failed your Genin exam... That's why you're traveling to improve yourself..."

Naruto grimaced as the veteran warrior read through him like an open book, "Many Jinchuriki leave their village, in order to understand themselves and their beasts... That's what you want, isn't it? To improve before you go back to Konoha?"

Naruto glanced over to Haku, and then back to Zabuza and grumbled, "What are you getting at? What do you want me for...?"

"Your swordsmanship is pathetic. I'll teach you how to fight properly, and you help me complete my goal."

"...Your goal? And what would that be?"

Zabuza's face darkened, and he looked dead in Naruto's eyes as he simply said, "You will help me kill Yagura, the three-tails Jinchuriki, and the Mizukage of Kirigakure."

* * *

"Sasuke."

Sasuke looked over to his sensei as he appeared next to him.

"Kakashi?"

The man stared into his book, eventually turning another page. Sasuke waited.

Then Kakashi turned another page and giggled.

Right before Sasuke's anger began to boil, Kakashi spoke, "What are you still doing at the training field? Training's done for the day."

"No. Not for me, it isn't."

Kakashi watched as the boy made hand-signs, and let out a fireball towards a tree, which ended with him panting. Kakashi grabbed his shoulder as he chastised him, "It's important to train hard, Sasuke, but don't overwork yourself."

Sasuke grunted and shrugged Kakashi's hand off, "I have to... That dumbass is probably getting stronger by the day... I need to get stronger than him, so I can bring him back."

Kakashi frowned and asked, "Who?"

Though, he mentally smacked himself afterward. Sasuke only spoke to one person in the village.

"To bring back Naruto, hm...?"

Sasuke ignored him and made the hand-signs for another fireball. Before he could, Kakashi grabbed his hand.

"...Let me show you something... A technique to help you protect your bonds."

* * *

In her manor, Yakumo zipped up her backpack and gazed around her room, to see if she missed anything. She circled around and stopped when she noticed Sora sitting in her window.

"Sora?"

He stared at her with a blank expression, and she had the frightening feeling that he knew what she was going to do.

"I know what you're going to do."

She mentally cursed and crept back as he hopped down, stepping foot in her room.

"Y-You're trespassing! Sora, get out!"

He stopped in the middle of her room, picking up her pack and tossed it out of the window. She protested and ran to him, her fist reeling to hit him.

"Whoa! Yakumo, calm down! I was here to tell you that Yamato-sensei's calling us for a mission... I know you want to go find Naruto, but we have to wait until we get back from this mission!"

Yakumo paused right before Sora caught her fist in his mouth. She narrowed her eyes as she asked, "We?"

"You'll die if you go out there alone."

* * *

"I'm glad you all could make it..."

Yamato sat on the railing of a bridge as Yakumo and Sora stood in front of him. However, their eyes were on the redhead, dressed in mesh. Over her mesh, she wore dark-brown shorts and a brown, short-sleeved open shirt. Notably, she wore a headband of Kusagakure.

"For the time being, due to Naruto's absence, Kusagakure's loaned us one of their Genin in an exchange. She'll represent him as his replacement until he's found."

The girl pushed her glasses further upon her nose as she waved.

"Hello... My name is Karin Hebi... I'll be your teammate for now!"

* * *

"Kill... the Mizukage? You're outta your fucking mind! You asking me to start a war!"

"The civil war has already begun..."

Naruto crossed his arms and turned his head away.

"No way! I'll just be on my way..."

He trailed off as he heard the drawing of a kunai, and cursed at the fact that Haku was behind him.

"...Why can't you do it yourself?"

Zabuza grunted, "I tried. I failed. This time, with a Jinchuriki on the rebel side, this story won't end the same way."

Naruto shook his head as the man, once again, referred to him as a tool. He inquired, "Why do you want to kill the Mizukage? Did he piss on your rice ball, or something?"

"The man is a tyrant... Kirigakure was a country known for it's brutal training methods... But the remaining ninja where heralded as heroes, and they respected fellow survivors... Yagura was manipulated by an outside force into becoming Mizukage, and he began slaughter loyal ninja left and right under his brutal methods..."

Naruto tilted his head and asked, "Wait, he was manipulated?"

"By who, no one knows... I don't know anyone who has the power to manipulate tailed beasts... besides the Sage of the Sixth Paths and his descendants."

"Descendants?"

Naruto would have though that he'd raise his eyebrows, but he didn't have any.

"...You know, the Senju and the Uchiha...? Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha being the prime examples?"

Naruto froze up, and Zabuza and Haku watched as his demeanor changed.

"Naruto?"

His eyes flashed to red multiple times. If that..._ man_... the one Sarutobi died to... Madara Uchiha... _Tobi_...

_I'm just wondering if you are going to sit here when the war starts?_

_ You'll be the cause of war... As matter of fact, you already are._

_ Are you really going to sit here while that happens? Are you going to sit there and watch me destroy this pathetic world?_

"Then let's go. What the hell are you waiting for?"

* * *

Trivia

-Sasuke will expand Chidori like Shippuden, but he's not going to be completely dark and evil with it. That's because this incarnation of Sasuke is actually listening to the "Chidori is a blade to protect your friends" speech that Kakashi gives to him.

-I didn't want Naruto to seem too strong, so I wanted to make him fight a Ninja that defeated, and so he can actually learn from one instead of killing them and stealing their jutsu.

-I'm not going to have Naruto using any of Zabuza's water techniques unless it truly fits, or his chakra can mold it into something similar.

-Karin's appearance is taken from her flashback when she meets Sasuke in the Chunin Exams.


	8. Lightning Flash Tango

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Naruto relaxed in a small boat, with Haku and Zabuza on one side of him, and the Demon Brothers on the other.

"So where are we headed again?"

Zabuza grunted out, "To meet the rebels in the Umi no Kuni. I have to inform the Godaime Mizukage Koho that we've acquired a new factor for this war."

Naruto frowned and sighed, "I wish you'd stop calling me a weapon. I'm not yours, or Kirigakure's tool. After this is done, I'm leaving."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, she has to know that you're here and plan accordingly."

Naruto nodded and rested his head on the back of the boat. He crossed his arms behind his head and asked, "So who's this Godaime Mizukage?"

"_Candidate_ Godaime Mizukage... I don't believe she's worth shit, but she has a multitude of kekkei genkai, with a thousand pick-up lines to back them up. She's nothing but a flirt."

Naruto smirked, and taunted, "Sounds like she kicked your ass and made you her bitch..."

"Don't make me flip this boat, kid."

* * *

"Kisame."

Deep within the heart of Kirigakure, a man with blue skin and sharp teeth turned his beady eyes to the spiky-haired man behind him. The man was followed by a short person with light-grey hair, with a stitch-like scar under his left eye.

"Heh... It seems you've been growing your hair out, Lord _Mizukage_..."

Tobi ran his fingers through his hair and replied, "They fear the appearance of Madara Uchiha, after all... Anyway, what news did you have to call me here? I've been busy elsewhere."

"Did you know that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's heading this way...?"

Kisame grinned feral-like as he witnessed Tobi's breathing come to a halt. The Sharingan eye narrowed and he asked, "Really? I sent Hisame to scare him back towards Otogakure."

Kisame waved his hand as he dismissed her, "He killed her... Then had a run-in with the Demon of the Bloody-Mist and his lackeys... Seems Zabuza convinced him to join the rebellion. The kid is heading here."

Kisame smirked as he heard Tobi's chuckles as he began to walk away.

"This is perfect... I was intending for him to destroy Orochimaru for me, but that snake bastard can wait... I'm rather excited to see how this turns out."

Kisame watched as the man faded into the shadows, commenting, "...You know, I'm starting to think you're just taking this kid all around the world for shits and giggles."

Kisame deadpanned as the man replied back.

"Believe it."

* * *

"Whoa, what's that?"

Naruto looked over at an island, which was surrounded by mountains. Taking a closer look, he noticed that it's buildings were torn down and ruined.

"That place looks like it's seen better days..."

"It has... Back before the wars, at least. The cities and the main clan was destroyed during the wars."

Naruto looked back to Zabuza and asked, "You know that place?"

"...That...? That's the former land of Whirpools. Uzushiogakure, in fact. The Rebllion Base Island is just beyond that. You could probably visit it after we're done."

At the sound of the name, Naruto began rubbing his chin as he looked the sky, thinking out loud, "Uzushiogakure? I could have sworn I heard that name..."

"From your Konoha history, dumbass. Maybe you wouldn't have failed if you'd paid attention."

"Go to hell!"

Zabuza chuckled, "I've been there before, kid... They keep spitting me back out."

"Dude, you're not a badass...! Stop trying to act cool!"

Haku decided to interrupt before Naruto and Zabuza started another fight, "What do they have to do with Konoha? I mean, I know it's off the coast of the Land of Fire, but..."

"The Shodai Hokage started relations with them... Married one of their woman... Think her name was Mi...Miko? Somethin' Uzumaki, as far as I'm concerned."

Haku was the one who noticed Naruto freeze up. He moved over to Zabuza and grabbed at his collar desperately, which the man responded by knocking him down, "The hell is wrong with you!?"

"What did you just say?"

"What? The wife of Hashirama? Her name was Miko Uzumaki! Just like the rest of the Uzumaki clan on that island."

Gozu coughed into his hand and then spoke, "It's actually _Mito_ Uzumaki."

"Nobody asked you!"

While Zabuza and the Demon Brothers argued, Naruto sat on the floor of the boat, eyes staring blankly at the passing island.

_'Uzumaki... Clan...?'_

Haku watched as Naruto became silent, and walked over to him.

"...You didn't tell us your last name... If I would have known, we'd have probably stopped there before coming going back to the base."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment before responding, "I said I was going to help you all... So I'm doing what I said I was going to do... The only thing I ask is that when this is done, that you take me back here."

Haku nodded, and turned to break up the physical fight the formed between Zabuza and the Demon Brothers. Naruto stared at the desolate island until the mist finally hid it from sight.

* * *

"What is this place?"

"Umi no Kuni... The Land of the Sea."

Naruto stared in awe as they landed on dock on a small island, which was one of the three surrounding a large one.

"...This place used to be a hideout for the Sannin, Orochimaru... Its intel now belongs to us. The Mizukage Koho's building is on Mother Island."

"The largest one? Then why in the hell are we here?"

"Because this is the ninja headquarters, so I'm meeting you here."

Naruto froze as the melodius voice flowed into his ears, and his first reaction was to roll forward and draw a kunai. He turned and stared as woman with long, red hair, tied into a herringbone at the top. She wore a dark-blue dress that opened across her right leg over mesh clothing. She raised her eyebrow as she smiled.

"I'm tired of old women trying to kill me! Who the hell are you supposed to be!?"

Zabuza exploded into laughter at the dark grimace suddenly appearing on the woman's face. However, she soon hid her anger with a smile, though Naruto still sensed it.

"...My name is Mei Terumi...the leader of this little...establishment."

Naruto anger relaxed, and he stared blankly at the woman. She jumped back when he dropped in front of her, begging, "Please don't kill me! I'm sorry! Zabuza never told me who you were!"

"Hey!"

Zabuza growled as Naruto grabbed Mei's legs, holding them tightly as he shed false tears. Mei looked towards Zabuza with a smile, and Zabuza took a step back.

"You kidnapped him without telling him where he was going?"

Zabuza protested, though his deep voice had a slight stutter to it, "I-I... I told him I was taking him to the Mizukage Koho! Damn you, brat!"

"He also said that you weren't worth shit either! And that he could kick your ass and make you his bitch!"

Naruto turned and smirked towards the frightened former ANBU, who took another step away from Mei, who smiled wide, far beyond any facial proportions.

"Do we really have to go through this again, Zabuza? You remember what happened the last time, don't you? When you kidnapped Haku?"

Zabuza didn't answer, and instead, took off deeper into the base. Mei effortlessly picked Naruto up with one hand and tossed him away, saying, "Please excuse me," before slowly walking into the base after Zabuza. Haku sighed and motioned to Naruto to follow him.

"We'll wait for them at the Mizukage's Residence."

* * *

Eventually, Mei returned, though there was no Zabuza in sight. She sat in her desk and crossed her hands on her desk as she smiled at Naruto.

"Now... Maybe we can start over. Mei Terumi, Mizukage Candidate."

Naruto scratched his head as he replied, "Uh... Naruto Uzumaki... Lost student-in-training?"

Mei frowned and asked, "How old are you?"

"Ten."

Mei cursed, "Damn... Eight more years," and Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Stop being a pedobear, Terumi."

Naruto and Haku turned as the feminine gruff made itself known from the side window. A short female, with long hair tied on both sides of her face, sat in the Mizukage Koho's window, next to a white-haired male. She wore a long-sleeved brown shirt with black, baggy pants. The male was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt with violet pants.

"Ameyuri, Mangetsu... Nice of you two to show up."

Naruto reared away as the predatory grin on Ameyuri's face frightened him. She stood up and walked up to him, and Naruto attempted to stand on his toes to seem bigger than her. She bumped him with her chest and he fell to the floor immediately. She sighed and held her hands in her head.

"This is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Son, I am disappoint."

"You shut up!"

Mangetsu sighed from his place at the window, "Ameyuri, the point isn't for him to simply end the war for us... We're going to train him."

"There's no way this kid's gonna equal Yagura in any lifetime... I don't care what kinda Biju he's got."

Mei interrupted, her dark look quieting everyone in the room, "You can, and you will. It took Haku here only five years to be accepted as a member of the Seven Swordsmen. If Zabuza alone can turn a child like Haku into a Jonin-level ninja, I want to see little Naruto here at the same skill."

Naruto froze and looked up to Haku, "You're a member of the Seven Swordsmen? I didn't think you were that good!"

Haku began blushing and turned away as he replied, "Oh stop it, Naruto... You're embarrassing me..."

"Stop flirting, you girly son-of-a-bitch!"

Haku narrowed his eyes, and both he and Ameyuri locked gazes, promising mortal combat to the other. Naruto blinked and commented, "I've never seen Haku act like this..."

"He can be pretty tough when he wants... Unless he's feelin' a little _too_ happy."

Naruto looked behind him to the white-haired male. He held his hand out, introducing himself, "Mangetsu Hozuki... Wielder of Hiramekarei."

Naruto shook his hand and grinned, "Pleased to meet ya!"

As Naruto let go, he truly stared at Mangetsu, and then back to the arguing warriors behind him, which Mei was trying to break up, and then back to Mangetsu.

"...Hey, why are you all so young? You three look the same age..."

"Well, Ameyuri's the oldest of us three, being fifteen, but that's cause most of the older generation are either dead, or still with Yagura."

Naruto's eyes widened, "Still with Yagura? You mean Zabuza's the only one workin' for Mei? From the older generation, I mean."

Mangetsu nodded, "We killed three of them and took their weapons, but Kisame Hoshigaki, Jinpachi Munashi, and Jinin Akebino are the only ones still left... Plus the Mizukage, and whatever Ninja's powerful enough to control him and the Sanbi."

Naruto grimaced as that masked man appeared in his head again, "Tobi..."

"Hm?"

Naruto shook his head, "I-It's nothing."

Mangetsu raised an eyebrow and turned back to Haku and Ameyuri, who were both thrown out of the window by Mei. She huffed and sat down in her chair, placing her trademarked smile on her face, causing Naruto to turn away so she couldn't see his blush.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto... You're not only helping us, but we're trying to help you. With you, we can end this bloody war, and you'll go back to Konoha with something to brag about..."

Naruto nodded, and Mangetsu motioned for him to follow. Before he could leave, Mei called out to him.

"When this is over... Be sure to give Konoha a good word from us!"

* * *

"Alright, who's got first dibs?"

Zabuza grunted, "I already fought the brat. I'll go last."

Haku shrugged, "I found him, so I'll go before Zabuza."

Mangetsu closed his eyes, "We're cool... You can go first."

"What...? No... Why do I have to get chompers...?"

Ameyuri growled and kicked Naruto in the gut as he complained, "Stop bitchin'! You and me, outside now!"

Naruto rolled to his feet as Ameyuri kicked him into the training area on Jiro Island. Naruto smirked and punched his fist into his palm, "Alright, now's my chance to take you down!"

Ameyuri chuckled, which turned into full-blown laughter as she cracked her knuckles, "Oh man... Now I'm all excited...! I don't think I'll need Kiba for this one...!"

Naruto bared his fangs as he charged her, "Don't underestimate me!"

Ameyuri grinned moved back from Naruto's fist. She countered by hitting him, and watching as he turned into smoke.

"Zabuza's told me all about your clones, kid! Keep spamming them like that, and I'm goin' to punish you for it!"

She sighed when a barrage of Naruto's bull-rushed her with great intensity and yelled, "I don't do gangbangs, idiot! Suiton, Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

A large water dragon was formed from beyond the forest, and the group of Naruto's were destroyed under the pressure of the ocean's salt water. The real one lay against the ground, soaked to the bone as he moved to stand. Before he could catch a break, Ameyuri moved above him and elbowed him back to the ground and sat on top of him, sucking on a random lolipop she pulled from nowhere. She yawned and reclined on him as he struggle to push her off.

"Get offa me!"

She yawned again, "You're comfy... You're like a cushion."

Naruto growled, "I'm not!"

She laughed, "Yeah, you are...! You're too damned soft!"

With that being said, she picked him up and tossed him across the field. Haku frowned and said, "Aren't we supposed to be teaching him Kenjutsu?"

"Yep."

"Then what the hell is she doing?"

"Beating him for shits and giggles."

And just as Zabuza stated, Ameyuri beat poor Naruto into the ground, laughing like a maniac as she did so. She wiped her hands clean and walked off, waving over her shoulder, "Sorry I didn't return him in pristine condition, but make with what you can. I'm done here."

"I'm not through with you..."

Ameyuri paused in her walking, and turned back with a large, toothy smirk on her face, "That's what I wanted to hear... I don't like when my meals are cold..."

Behind her, Naruto stood up, but his posture was different. The chakra of the Nine-Tails surrounded him, and he glared at her with red, slitted eyes.

"Let's see who eats who, little Naruto!"

* * *

Tobi sat on his desk and watched as the young Mizukage signed new documents. Soon, Kisame walked in, and Tobi leaped from the desk as the man entered.

"Glad you could come, Kisame. It seems that young Naruto's made it to the Land of the Sea."

Kisame grinned and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"I have a team of ninja under employment currently, and they're patiently waiting for their services to be used... Give 'em an invitation to Naruto... I'm sure he's bored."

* * *

Ameyuri slid back on the dirt as Naruto marked her face with his claws. Her gaze went blank when she felt the blood flow down her cheek, and her tongue moved to dab at it. She smirked as Naruto reared back in disgust.

"You actually wounded me! Those are the men I really like! Don't lose that courage now!"

She lifted up her sleeve, where a symbol was etched into her arm. Wiping her hand across her cheek, she slid it on her head, and the symbol burst into smoke. Naruto's eyes widened when it cleared, and she wielded two blades, both designed with spiky protrusions. She crossed her arms, and the blades flickered and sparked, lightning flowing through its steel. She crouched as the blue lights flashed, lighting up her shark-like, maniacal smile.

"The spotlight's on, Naruto! Get ready to put on a show!"

* * *

Trivia

-Umi no Kuni(Land of the Sea) is the area of the anime that Isaribi is from, and where Anko was abandoned. Since I've looked at the geography map on the Naruto wiki to note my locations, I simply used the unmarked islands right next to Uzushiogakure for Umi no Kuni(If you check the geography map).

-The reason was because Naruto might visit Uzushio during this little Kiri Civil War Arc, and If I did make the choice to allow him to visit, I didn't want him to be too far away from Kiri.

-The rivalry between Ameyuri and Haku was due to Haku being a feminine male, and Ameyuri being a slightly masculine female, so their ideas and feelings tend to clash.

-Ameyuri was designed from a combination of Anko and Tayuya.

-Suigetsu is with Mangetsu in Umi no Kuni, and aspires to take Zabuza's spot on the Seven Swordsmen.


	9. Invitation of a Crazed Moon

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Haku and Mangetsu covered their faces as the fifth clash happened in a row between the violent fighters. Zabuza sat unperturbed, and simply yawned as he watched.

"This kid's good... I wonder what he would be like if he was raised in the 'Bloody Mist'?"

Zabuza yawned again and kicked back against a tree, "He'd be the guy that made friends with the entire class. Ameyuri's already fallen under his friendship jutsu."

"What?"

Zabuza sighed, "She toys with enemies as if their prey, but refers to worthy foes as meals. She's gonna fight that kid till her heart gives out, let the medics heal her, and do it again. And that dumbass would be the only guy stupid enough to keep fighting her."

In the distance, Naruto dove at Ameyuri with his fist raised high.

"Zankuha!"

"Raiton! Bakurai!"

Another clash connected, and the two fought to overpower the other.

Mangetsu shrugged, "Well... He's a cool enough guy... Not many people offer to help another village when they plan own going back to their own."

Zabuza growled, "You've fallen for that bullshit too, Mangetsu."

Haku ducked as a stray jutsu was tossed his way, and rubbed the slight tinge of ash on his hair.

"I see great things coming from him, Master Zabuza... He's not a normal kid, by any means."

Naruto moved and forged a red chakra blade. He jumped back to dodge the lightning strike as an idea came to his head. He reared back with his blade, and as Ameyuri jumped at him, swung with all of his weight behind it.

"Zankukyokuha!"

Ameyuri's eyes bulged out of her head and she reared back as she faced the shock wave head on. Haku held on to a tree as he was thrown off of his feet, and Mangetsu held on to Haku's waist to keep himself from thrown away. Zabuza slammed his oversized cleaver into the dirt to keep his ground.

"What the...!?"

Naruto's jaws dropped as he watched the damage done, and jumped in joy, "Woohoo! That-"

"-will never happen again, brat!"

Naruto turned around in shock. Ameyuri stood behind him, her jacket torn on the entirety of her left side. She scars and blood pouring down her body, but what scared Naruto the most was that she was still smiling, just feral as before.

"...It ends here."

Naruto sucked in his breath and coughed out blood as she stabbed both of her blades into his stomach. He gritted his teeth as he reached out to grab her.

"Damn...you... Cheater..."

He finally collapsed to the ground, and Ameyuri reached over to retrieve her blades. She fell back on her behind and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. She laughed as she fell back, relaxing into the dirt.

"That was fun... We need to do that again... Mangetsu, mind if I take your turn?"

The white-haired swordsman's eye twitched as he crossed his arms, "You didn't teach him anything! You just fought him and knocked him out!"

"The best way to learn to fight is to fight... Now someone get him a medic so we can go one more round!"

* * *

A couple of days later, Naruto walked away from the hospital, and rubbed his sore neck as he frowned.

"I hope I never have to fight her again... She's a psycho."

"Yo."

Naruto looked over his shoulder and realized he had walked right past Mangetsu leaning against a tree. Unlike the first time he saw him, he wore a grey, pin-striped robe over a dark-blue outfit.

"...Man... I just left the medics, and now you're gonna send me back?"

Mangetsu laughed and patted Naruto on the head, "Nah, I'm not gonna fight you... These robes are too expensive for that... We're gonna have a little chat."

"Chat? I thought you guys were supposed to be training me?"

"Not all training's done with the body, Naruto... You don't train your mind, and you'll end up an idiot."

Naruto deadpanned, "Everyone already calls me an idiot... How can that get any worse?"

Mangetsu shrugged and motioned for him to follow. Naruto walked behind him as he took him to the village section of the Mother Island.

"Where are we goin'?"

"Home."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking any other questions. Soon, Mangetsu arrived at a large building, seemingly mansion like in size.

"...You live here?"

Mangetsu looked over his shoulder at Naruto and answered, "No. But I was born in a place like this."

"I thought kids were born in hospitals...?"

Mangetsu laughed and stepped into the building, holding the door for Naruto. As the boy walked in, he responded, "Nah, not like that... I meant it in a... philosophical sense."

"...Sure, whatever."

Mangetsu led Naruto down the halls and stopped outside of a window. When Naruto peeked inside, he saw a group of children surrounding a lone person, dressed in ninja clothing.

"A classroom?"

Mangetsu nodded, "A ninja's life usually begins here... or in some place similar... they learn the basics, and are told fairy tales of what it means to be a ninja."

Naruto frowned as he watched the man make hand-sign, and he switched places with a log. The class began cheering and clapping, and Naruto didn't understand.

"That's... That's not a magic trick or anything... You use that for survival! To make a last minute switch for a surprise attack! T-"

"To do a lot of things, naturally... Most kids don't understand that... Which is funny, because these students are the same age as you, if not older."

Naruto looked back to Mangetsu, and then towards the kids in the classroom.

"You see, they are just impressed by the stories... The legends and tales about heroes who saved their country, or fought for their respect... They know nothing of the pain and horror that comes with their sacrifices... They glorify it."

Naruto said nothing, and Mangetsu continued, "Imagine your classmates... All of your friends... Imagine that the very same people you got to know...that you ate lunch with...played with... Imagine that all you done for them...was rendered useless by graduation...because you had to murder them in cold blood."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he suddenly had an image of him standing over Sasuke, his chakra blade embedded into his heart.

"Why would any-?"

"That is the Mizukage's way of things... That's what we're fighting against.. This..," Mangetsu said, as he gestured to the children in the window, "...is what we're fighting for... Even if these kids have to live a lie, it's better than the blood-soaked truth."

Naruto watched as all of the kids jumped in joy when the teacher allowed them to try the technique for themselves. One child, with white-hair, stood out to Naruto as he tried, and ultimately, melted into water instead.

"That guy looks like you."

"That's my little brother, Suigetsu Hozuki... The only other Hozuki alive besides me."

Naruto looked up at him and asked, "What happened to the rest of your clan?"

"Yagura's slain most of them during the Bloodline Hunts. The same happened to Haku."

Naruto frowned and sighed, "Are you trying to convince me to help? I already agreed to help."

Mangetsu grabbed Naruto's shoulder as he looked him in the eye, "This isn't for me, or Kirigakure. You want to become a respectable ninja for Konoha, am I correct?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Heroes and legends aren't those who balance the weight of the world on their shoulders, but are instead, those who gamble against fate to do what they can... Do what you can to make sure another kid in Konoha doesn't have to face that darkness... Keep them in the light."

Naruto nodded, and Mangetsu smiled as he let go of him.

"Well, guess I'm done with you for now. We'll train tomorrow, after I get out of dinner with my girlfriend. And I promise, I won't try to kill you like Ameyuri. Meet me here tomorrow."

Naruto cheered, much to Mangetsu's amusement, and placed his hands behind his head as he walked away. Mangetsu watched as he left and smiled, "Yep... That kid's a golden egg..."

* * *

Naruto stood on the tallest building, overlooking the Mother Island as he searched for a ramen shop.

"Tch... I wonder where all the ramen shops are? I'm ready to clean house!"

"...Hm... So this where you've been hiding, Naruto."

Naruto turned from his soul searching to see Haku climb up next to him.

"Yo, Haku! What are you doing here?"

"Lady Mei's torturing Master Zabuza again, so I've been left to my own devices for now..."

Naruto sighed, "Are they like, married or something?"

"They might as well be... So are you enjoying your training so far?"

Naruto glared darkly at Haku, who laughed and apologized, "Well, I guess I meant your time with Manget-"

"There you are! Come on, Baby boy! It's game time!"

Naruto yelped, "Ah, shit!" and took off at a rapid sprint as Ameyuri came charging at him with her twin blades. As they disappeared, Haku sighed.

"And... I'm alone again."

* * *

The next morning, Naruto sat on the steps to the academy, waiting for Mangetsu to show. He looked down at his watch and sighed.

"Oi! You Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto looked up, and started to yell, "Hey, Mangetsu! Where have you be-?"

He stopped upon realizing that the short kid drinking from the cup was not Mangetsu... That was his little brother... named... Umm...

"...Suigetsu?"

The kid grinned, and Naruto wondered, _'Why the hell does all these people have shark teeth?'_

"Bro must have told you all about me! Anyway, bro's runnin' a lil' late, so I'm takin' you to the Hozuki compound while he comes back."

Naruto nodded and followed Suigetsu as they traveled through the village. As the neared the compound, Naruto asked, "What's wrong with Mangetsu?"

"His girl's too clingy... That's what he gets for dating a kunoichi... And an ugly one to boot."

Suigetsu was suddenly knocked forward, and Mangetsu stood behind him with his foot high.

"Don't talk about Isaribi like that!"

Suigetsu groaned and rubbed his head as he stood up, "Bro, I just-"

"Sui, shut the hell up before you regret it."

Suigetsu grunted, "Tch...," and looked over at Naruto, "See what I have to deal with? That's Kiri people problems for you..."

"Naruto, ignore this dumbass. Follow me."

Naruto shook his head at the two before following Mangetsu through the hall, Suigetsu bringing up the rear. As they walked, Naruto stopped suddenly, and the two brothers turned to him with their brows raised.

"Dude, what are you doing?"

Naruto paused at a gigantic portrait of a blonde-haired man, wearing the same robes as Suigetsu. He had little facial hair, and a wide smirk on his face.

"Who the heck's this guy?"

Mangetsu walked back and looked at him, "Oh, that's our great-grand uncle, Kagetsu Hozuki... The Nidaime Mizukage."

"You guys are related to the Mizukage?"

Suigetsu shrugged, "Yeah... And the first Mizukage, too, though he's a _really_ distant relative..."

"Why isn't his picture here?"

Mangetsu was the one who answered, "No one really believes he exists... He apparently founded the village and then took off for war... Got himself killed, and set the Six-Tailed Slug free... Literally a week later, Kagetsu took over.

Naruto frowned, "The Six-Tailed Slug? So...he was a Jinchuriki?"

"More or less... The Six-Tailed was our other Biju besides the Three-Tails... It was sealed into one of his descendants, but the guy ran away..."

Naruto lingered around the picture before continuing with the Hozuki brothers. As he walked, he noted the robes, "Now I see why you said those robes were expensive... You just wanted to impress your little girlfriend..."

Mangetsu sighed, "That's how it is, Naruto... Rich people problems..."

* * *

"So what kinda training are we gonna do?"

Mangetsu walked forward to the coastline outside of his compound and pointed towards a flock of birds flying in the air. He stuck his tongue out and closed one eye as he tried to concentrate.

"Bang."

Soon, one of the birds fell out of the sky, and Mangetsu blew his fingers as Naruto stood in shock.

"The hell did you just do?"

"Mizudeppo no Jutsu. The water gun technique."

Naruto grinned, but Mangetsu shook his head, "I'm not teaching you that."

And just like that, Naruto's expression fell, "What!? Then what was the point of you showing me that!?

"Naruto, I've seen those techniques... That sword and whip...? Surely you can simply make your own."

Naruto frowned, "How did you do it...?"

"Compress the chakra in your finger and fire it."

Naruto aimed his finger at the next flock of birds, and did the same as Mangetsu with aiming to them. He fired a bullet twice as large as Mangetsu's, and then it suddenly exploded, knocking both of them off their feets. Mangetsu rolled to the ground, and Naruto landed on his back, sucking on his burnt finger.

"Well... That went exactly how I planned."

Naruto screamed, "You wanted me to blow my fingers off!?"

Mangetsu laughed and shook his head, "Nah... I meant, I knew you would try to use the Nine-Tails chakra to do it. Those chakra blades and chains are difficult to pull off unless the Nine-Tails is helping, am I right?"

"How did you-?"

"You didn't fight Ameyuri with that sword until the Nine-Tails' influence began to show... Which means that it probably hurts you when it's done on your own."

Naruto stood up and turned to Mangetsu, who grasped his shoulder and continued, "The First Mizukage was an idiot, bragging that he was the first 'Bijukage'... It's good to be friends with the beast if you can, but you need to build a better relationship with the Nine-Tails first before running rampant with his chakra. For now, try to use your techniques with your own chakra."

Naruto nodded and aimed to fire another shot... which exploded a little bit further and still knocked Naruto off of his feet.

"Shit! Mangetsu, what do I do now?"

The Hozuki swordsman shrugged, "I don't know. Guess your chakra control sucks ass. That's your problem, not mine."

Naruto's jaws dropped as Mangetsu waved over his shoulder as he walked off, "See ya."

Naruto glared at him and sighed, "Biju people problems..."

* * *

Mangetsu stepped into his house and sat at the table with Suigetsu... and Haku, apparently.

"Haku, what are you doing here?"

Haku put down the cup of water he was drinking and replied, "I'm here to see if Naruto's done... I finally got an idea on how I'm going to teach him."

Mangetsu shrugged, "Pretty much. I mean, I told him about a technique, which I'm sure he's out there practicing, but he can learn that on his own time... You can take him away if you want to."

Haku nodded and stood up. Mangetsu pointed behind him, "Out that way."

Zabuza's apprentice followed in the direction, and found Naruto resting on the beach.

"I thought you were supposed to be training?"

He looked down and noticed the burn marks all across his body. The younger boy panicked and leaned up into a sitting position.

"Maybe you'd like a break? Mangetsu's training is done."

Naruto nodded and stood to his feet. He panted, "Where...are we going?"

"I just talked to the Mizukage... she gave me permission to take you to Uzushiogakure."

* * *

Trivia

-Title is named after a song from Castlevania, which references the moon(getsu) at the end of Suigetsu and Mangetsu's name.

-Kagetsu means 'Bright Moon' and is a reference to the Second Mizukage's illusion and mirage techniques.

-First Mizukage founded the village, and died a week after being elected, which is where Second Mizukage came in. That's what Mangetsu meant when he stated no one believes he exists. It's hard to take leader seriously if he's never really been the leader but for a week.


	10. Lost Shrine

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"...Haku... Are you serious? How did you-?"

"It's a part of your training... Let's call it... 'finding yourself', eh?"

Naruto squinted, and Haku turned away, rubbing his neck in awkward silence. Haku began sweating when Naruto leaned closer, and leaned away as he grumbled, "Get out of my space."

"You don't have to make an excuse for being nice, Haku! Does Mei know you're lying?"

Haku sighed, "I'm not lying, Naruto. I believe you might find something on that island that can help you... Like a lost scroll, or something..."

"...Dude, just admit that you're doing this out of friendship... "

Haku mumbled, "I'm not," which Naruto responded by narrowing his eyes and moving closer.

"Bro, it's completely okay if you're trying to be my friend. I think your pretty cool... except the cross-dressing...which is..," Naruto trailed off, as he looked at Haku's outfit, which was the same as when they first met, "...kinda weird, I have to say..."

Haku blushed and held his arms out, "You think I look pretty? You were quite interested when y-"

Naruto deadpanned and interrupted, "I said nothing of the sort, now change your clothes before other people get the wrong idea!"

Haku grumbled to himself and stomped off.

"You know, it's funny... I don't even think he knows why he cross-dresses..."

Naruto jumped when he heard the feminine tone behind him, and began hyperventilating when Ameyuri stood behind him, a lollipop in her mouth. She laughed when he crumpled to the ground in a fetal position.

"I'm not after you today. I've got other stuff planned."

Naruto peeked from between his arms, and Ameyuri grabbed him by his arm and pulled him up.

"Stop being a little bitch. I'm not going to kill you."

He dusted himself off and took a step back. Ameyuri frowned, "I'm not that scary, am I?"

Naruto looked away awkwardly and didn't answer, causing the angry female to reach out for his collar, "Answer me, damnit! Do I frightened you!?"

"Quit torturing him, idiot."

Ameyuri growled and looked over to Haku, who arrived back in his normal outfit. The feminine boy grabbed Naruto and pulled him away, much to the shark-tooth girl's chagrin.

* * *

"I'm going to follow you to the island, but I'm not entering the city with you... The revelations you might find are for you, and you alone..."

Naruto nodded as he watched the ruined island appear, closer than he could ever imagine. Haku turned back to the captain and motioned for him to slow the ship down to let Naruto out. However, Naruto charged over the rail of the boat, and rushed across the water to the torn dock. Haku shook his head and sighed, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Naruto stepped onto the pier, running ahead until he finally reached the city area. He stopped in the center of one city, and circled around as he took in the sights. With every broken window he gazed upon, a tear representing every fallen Uzumaki flowed out of his eyes. Looking towards a broken tower, he saw a spiral like pattern repeated on every building, and he pulled down his jacket slightly to see the pattern on his shirt.

"...So it was true... My family... My history..."

_"That damned bloodline... I hope it stays where it belongs, and never comes back."_

_ Naruto gazed into the eyes of the Kyuubi, and narrowed his eyes at the monster._

_ "That's what you brought me here for? To tell me that? I don't shit about what you have to say! Go back to sleep!"_

_ "I can't."_

_ Naruto frowned and stepped closer to the cage. He paused when an orange finger made its way through the cage and pointed to the seal. Naruto stared as the seal glowed._

Naruto's eyes widened and he lifted his shirt, watching as the seal on his stomach began glowing.

"What the hell is this!?"

_"The seal is reacting to something here..."_

_ Naruto stared at the seal as he was pulled back into his mind. He moved up to it and touched it, and the Kyuubi went wild in his cage._

_ "Oi! Calm down!"_

_ "Gahhh! It hurts! Stop touching it!"_

_ Naruto narrowed his eyes, and poked the seal again._

_ "Damnit, you brat! I'll kill you!"_

_ He then poked it again._

_ "I'm warning you!"_

_ He moved to poke it again, but was stopped as a hand moved to his wrist, and he turned around... to stare at chakra?_

_ "What the...!? Who are you!?"_

_ The unformed energy lifted its hand away from Naruto and flew away, causing Naruto to chase after it._

_ "Hey! What the hell are you doing in my mind!? Get your ass back here!"_

_ As he moved further and further away from the cage, he suddenly_ noticed that he was back in the ruins of Uzushiogakure, and saw the form fly into a building. Waking from his stupor, he took off after the figure.

"What were you doing in my head!? Why are you here!?"

Hopping over the desk in the run-down office, he rushed into the opening behind it and followed the figure down the stairs. He eventually hopped over the railing and descended towards the bottom, crashing into the gravel and rubble and tossing dust in the air. He coughed and waved it away the figure stood above him.

"What...? Who...?"

It turned and pointed at the wall, and Naruto watched as a multitude of seals began lighting up, As this was going on, the chakra embodiment suddenly swiped at Naruto's arm, causing blood to splatter on the seals.

"What the hell!?"

The figure faded into the wall, and it began to open. Naruto watched as the opening lit the entire room, and turned away as it began to blind him.

"Too...bright..."

A shadowy figure appeared behind through the light, and a feminine voice echoed around the room.

"It seems the seal's been broken... We're back in business..."

* * *

"Hello, Yakumo."

Yakumo aimlessly stirred around the noodles in her bowl as she sat at Ichiraku's. She turned towards the voice that called her, and was slightly annoyed when Karin sat next to her in the stand. The redhead asked for a ramen with cabbage and pork, and the brown-haired server took off.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to get something to eat... Saw a familiar face here."

Yakumo nodded and went back to her noodles.

"Never figured you for the noodle-type... I thought you'd like to keep your figure..."

Yakumo rolled her eyes and laid her cheek on her fist. Ayame came back with Karin's bowl and set it in front of her with a cheer. She said a silent prayer and immediately went to town on the noodles. Yakumo held a countenance of disgust as the girl finished and held her bowl out for another. The older man in charge began laughing, "Oh, boy! We haven't had a customer like this since Naruto!"

Karin frowned, and she looked to the ceiling as if she was trying to remember something. She suddenly stopped slurping the noodles and punched her fist as it came to her mind. She looked over to Yakumo and asked, "Isn't that your teammate that left?"

Yakumo blanked stared at her, then shook her head as she went back to her only bowl.

"...You hold him in high regard, huh? I can tell by the way you and Sora look at me that you don't like me replacing him..."

Yakumo sighed, "No offense..."

"None taken... So what's this Naruto like? Considering I've been sent here to help look for him, I really want to know about the guy I'm supposed to be looking for."

Yakumo tapped at her chin as she began naming things about Naruto, "Let's see... Vulgar... Loud... Disrespectful..."

Karin deadpanned, "Now I am offended that you both want this guy back..."

"However...he saved me... Multiple times, in fact... And he was my teammate, regardless of whether he failed or not... Again, no offense, but he and Sora are my only teammates, and the only people I'll accept as comrades when it comes down to it."

"Aw, I knew you liked me somewhere... Here I was, thinking this conversation's gonna be all about Naruto."

The girls both turned towards Sora as he walked inside and sat next to them.

"You guys both come here?"

Sora shrugged, "Not because we're freaks about ramen or anything... No offense, Teuchi."

The old man shrugged, and Sora continued, "Naruto loves ramen, so we eat here a lot. That way, when he comes back, we can all eat here, as an official team...as a family."

Yakumo smiled and nodded, and Karin couldn't help but feel jealous of them.

_'A family, huh...?'_

* * *

"What the hell...?"

A dark-haired woman, dressed in clean, pure-white robes stood at the edge of the entrance. Connected on either side of her shoulder was a yellow ribbon. She looked around the room for a moment, before looking down and noticing the young child sitting on his behind. She frowned, "...That's what I should be saying... Uzumaki's have red hair... Who the hell are you?"

Naruto growled, "I am a Uzumaki! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, goddamnit!"

"Don't raise your tone with me, boy. I've not heard of a _Naruto _Uzumaki."

Naruto stood to his feet and screamed, "But something led me here! You sure it wasn't you!?"

"...I'm not allowed to leave. I'm bound to this place."

Naruto paused as the woman looked around the room, and then glared back at him, "...Apparently, you are, if your blood managed to unseal this place."

"So... who are you, woman? Are you a Uzumaki? I thought they were all wiped out..."

She raised her eyebrow pointedly as she replied, "I thought they were all dead, as well. Considering you're here, however, I guess that's not the case. But no, I am not a Uzumaki."

Naruto blinked in confusion and rubbed his head, "So... You're..."

Naruto trailed off, waiting for the woman to finish for him. She tilted her head and answered, "You may call me Inari. Well, young Uzumaki, follow me."

Naruto followed her into the light, which finally faded away and revealed a temple-like area, with its own source of light. Naruto walked around in awe as he followed the woman to the large door.

"Whoa... What is this place? I didn't think this would be under Uzushio!"

"It's not... It's inside a seal.. Only one with the blood of a Uzumaki, or the chakra of the Kurama can enter."

Naruto followed her as she entered a room, seemingly built of royalty. She moved to a slightly large pillow and sat on it as she turned to face Naruto.

"Who's Kurama?"

"...The Kyuubi no Kitsune... You know, his name...?"

Naruto stared blankly at her, and she gave a similar look back to him. The staring contest continued for a slight moment, before Naruto began blinking. Then he shook his head and Inari looked at him in confusion.

"First off... Why is his chakra needed for a Uzumaki to come here...? And second, when did this furry bastard get a name?"

Inari leaned forward in her pillow, and waved her hand to someone, prompting Naruto to turn and see. He was surprised when nearly hundreds of white foxes, varying in sizes, shapes, and tails, scuttled through the door.

"You are the Jinchuriki of Kurama? Then someone did lead you down here... for what purpose, I do not know, but in any case, you belong here in my shrine."

Naruto watched as women, all dressed in white maiden robes and carrying decorative umbrellas, entered through the door.

"This is a shrine?"

"That which is dedicated to my Zenko... My Holy Kitsune."

Naruto turned and looked around room as the foxes and human women crowded the room, surrounding him as he twisted and turned, and exasperated, "Is the Kyu- Is Kurama one of yours?"

"Not really..."

"Then who are you?"

"...I am the goddess of these Kitsune, and the holder of the Kitsune contract... If you are here, young Uzumaki, then someone wishes for you to harness the power of our contract, like Mito Uzumaki."

Naruto gaped, "Mito Uzumaki? Isn't that the first's wife?"

"Yes, and the first Jinchuriki of Kurama, followed by _Kushina, _and apparently you, as the weapons of Uzushio and Konoha."

Naruto frowned, as he felt the hatred in her tone at the name "Kushina". Hearing that the Kyuubi was sealed in the many Uzumaki Jinchuriki made him think back to earlier.

_That damned bloodline... I hope it stays where it belongs, and never comes back._

_ 'A weapon... No wonder he's always pissed...'_

"So will you follow in the footsteps of your ancestral mother? Will you have us fight alongside you?"

Naruto looked at the foxes as they moved closer to him, and looked directly at Inari and stated, "I'll sign... But I'm not gonna enslave you as my clan did... You don't wanna be here, trapped in this shrine... So I'll free you all."

Inari recoiled away, and the foxes scattered away from him.

"...Free us?"

"You've all been trapped here since the destruction of the Whirlpool... and Kurama has been trapped here since the beginning... the cycle of the Uzumaki."

Deep inside Naruto's mind, Kurama opened his eye, and listened as Naruto began preaching.

_"I hope he stops all that friendship jutsu bullshit..."_

"So I'd rather we be equals, and fight as comrades, rather than me enslave you."

Naruto finished, and the Kitsune all sat in peaceful silence. Inari gaped, and then stopped. Naruto sat awkwardly as he stared at them all.

"...Um...Too soon?"

Soon, the entire room burst into laughter, and Naruto felt completely embarrassed as he grumbled, "Alright, you all can go to hell..."

"Bwaahahahaha! Kid, you're funny...! Tamamo, Kuzunoha, give him the contract!"

Naruto watched as one of the woman mentioned, with black hair tied into a geisha style, moved over to him.

"Alright, this'll only hurt for a second."

"Wait, what?"

The woman bared her fangs, and swiftly crouched over and bit him on the neck. His face lost all color, and he fell unconscious. Inari watched as they carried him back outside, and held her face in her hands.

"...That kid's really something special, eh, Kurama? We'll take care of him until you get off your high horse..."

* * *

"Master Haku!"

Haku turned back to the Captain, who had a scroll in his hand. He noted the carrier pigeon on the man's shoulder as he snatched the letter from his hand.

_Yagura's made his move. Loyalists have invaded Mother's Island. Leave Naruto at Uzushio and make your way back here immediately._

As Haku skimmed through the note, he froze it and broke it into a million pieces.

"Stay here for Naruto. I'll run back to base on my own."

The man nodded and Haku hopped over the side of the boat, rushing back to the base.

* * *

Trivia

-Inari is the goddess in Japanese mythology that is mostly related to foxes(Kitsune). The Shrine of Inari, which is similar to Mount Myokbou and Ryuuchi Cave, is the home of the foxes.

-They are not related to the Kyuubi completely. This means that Naruto's connection with the Kitsune and Kyuubi are as different as his Toad Summoning and Kyuubi in canon.

-All of the Kitsune being female are a reference to Female Kyuubi! Fics and that Kitsunes can shapeshift into a woman, and the biting on the neck being a reference to marking. The other reference for the biting is due to the Cursed Seal of Orochimaru being based from Sage techniques.

-Inari's dislike of Kushina stems from the fact she did not stay in Uzushio to receive the contract like Mito, and thus, the Kitsune stayed sealed away longer than they should.

-Tamamo and Kuzunoha are famous figures in stories that are stated to be foxes.


	11. Ultimate Weapon

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Zabuza grabbed the neck of a loyalist ninja and tossed him over his shoulder. Spinning on his heel, he and his blade flowed into a wild dance, severing limbs and covering the area with blood.

As he decapitated two more ninja in the village, he stopped and gazed up to a man with dark-brown hair pooling over his white headband. He wore dark, violet robes, and had a giant, black sword, nearly as large as his own.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes and commented, "You sure you want to fight with me? You should havee gone after a simpler target.

The man said nothing, and stabbed his blade into the ground. He smirked and chakra began pouring into the handle, and the blade burst into flames. At Zabuza's shocked look, he replied, "You're old news, pal... The blades of the old Seven Swordsman are severely outdated."

Zabuza grunted, "Old? So Yagura's replaced us with you, for the time being? How low has his standards fallen...?"

The man growled, ripping his blade out the ground as he dashed towards Zabuza.

"Dismiss me all you want, but I, Hoki, will end the reign of the retired swordsmen!"

* * *

"...You look like you know a thing or two..."

Ameyuri grunted in response as she crunched her lollipop in her mouth, "You don't. If you did, you'd have known better than to challenge me."

"But you see, I have no choice... You are my predecessor, after all. Once I rid the world of you, Lord Yagura shall place me, Kujaku, as the true member of the Seven Swordsman."

Opposite from Ameyuri was a woman dressed in a purple robe. She had teal hair with yellow bangs. She reached behind her, drawing two blades as she entered a stance.

Apparently, to Ameyuri, this action was amusing, as she suddenly burst into laughter. Kujaku growled and asked, "What is so funny...!?"

"You're supposed to be replacing me!?" Ameyuri laughed as she dropped the stick of her lollipop, "That was probably the funniest shit I've heard in forever!"

"You won't be laughing by the time I'm through with you!"

Ameyuri smirked and withdrew Kiba from the seal on her arm.

"We'll see about that, huh?"

* * *

"Ahahahaha!"

A small, blue-haired child rampaged through many Kiri rebels in a large forest clearing. He wielded a three-pronged blade, which stretched out with wire as it cut through his enemies.

"What kinda rebellion is this!? It's more like a massacre!"

As his blade came back into one, he glared over his shoulder as a figure appeared. He called out, "A hunter-nin? You're supposed to be on my side, dipshit!"

"...I'm not on your side... I fight for the true Mizukage, and my master. You have been mistaken."

The blue haired kid grunted, "I don't care! If you can fight, then put up a good one, cause I'm bored!"

Haku shook his head as he raised his left arm, revealing the tattooed seal on it. He drew it, revealing a thin longsword. However, he continued pulling, and pulled out yards of string.

"Th-That's Nuibari...! So you're the one that killed Kushimaru Kuriarare...!"

Haku said nothing as he held the blade up. The other boy began to laugh, and he aimed his blade towards Haku as he prepared himself.

"Man, Ryugan, you're in luck today! I get to take down a member of the old Swordsmen and get his weapon!"

* * *

Mangetsu sweatdropped as he starred at the large man rushing towards him with a mace..

"Dude, I get what you're saying... but you need a _sword _to be a _swordsman_..."

"Then I'll defeat you here! Prepare to face judgement!"

Mangetsu deadpanned, "How cliché..."

He sat as the mace went throw him as he turned to water. He aimed his finger at him and shook his head, "Props for trying."

The man growled and bared his chest as Mangetsu's water bullet went directly into the tiger chestplate. Mangetsu stood shocked, and the man kicked him away. Mangetsu quickly summoned his blade, which was a giant, two-handled sword wrapped in bandages. He slammed the blade into the ground to keep his balance, finally sliding to a stopping point.

"...No one can defeat my Infinite Armor! It can absorb all chakra attacks!"

Mangetsu stood from his crouched position, unraveling the bandages and revealing a flounder-shaped blade.

"Guess I'll have to use Hiramekarei for this one."

* * *

"Take this!"

"Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Two dragons, one made of water and the other fire, clashed, caused an explosion of steam, covering the area in warm mist. Hoki sat still, as he tried to locate Zabuza within the mist.

"It's futile. This is my element."

Hoki's eyes widened and twisted his body to collide with Zabuza's blade. Zabuza was surprised that the man managed to counter his attack, and hopped away before the flames melted his blade to the hilt.

"Hah! What kinda swordsman are you supposed to be, now!? With that broken piece of shit, you're nothing!"

The man laughed aloud as Zabuza stood by, seemingly shocked. He dropped the hilt on the ground, and Hoki slowly stepped towards the man, still chuckling as he reached him.

"Finally decided to give up now, huh? You should have done that from the start, so we didn't have to waste any time!"

Zabuza looked down, and watched the shadow of the approaching man. He mentally counted down until the end.

"I'm not gonna show you mercy, though! I'm gonna take your shitty blade, and forge it into a real masterpiece!"

Zabuza whispered under his breath, "Keep yappin', dumbass... It'll all be over soon."

Hoki stopped a sword length away from Zabuza as he moved to strike. He slashed through the swordsman, unsurprised as it turned to water, and swiftly turned on his feet to dodge the shuriken.

"You think I'm stupid? I would never fall for such a low trick! You're pathetic!"

"And you fail."

Hoki was surprised when he heard the whisper in his ear, and felt his heart separate into two halves. The cut went all the way to his right shoulder, and his torso slipped away from the rest of his limbs.

"My blade uses the iron in blood to regenerate. I used the clone to draw your attention, and transformed into a shuriken and appeared behind you, next to my repaired Kubikiri Bocho."

As the top half of his body landed on the ground, it began glowing, and Zabuza narrowed his eyes as he retreated away from it. The body burst into tiny particles, and flew towards the sky.

* * *

"Senmofu!"

Ameyuri gritted her teeth and retreated away from the whirlwind blast. She cursed as she moved behind a rock on the coastline. She felt the harsh breeze as the wind past by her, and she looked down at her blades.

"Wind beats lightning... And she's taking advantage of that, too. She didn't pick me out of mere coincidence..."

Ameyuri felt Kujaku close in on her position, and she responded by jumping out of her cover and screamed, "Rairyu no Tatsumaki!"

As she connected her twin blades, a violet dragon made of lightning appeared at the head of a storm. Kujaku tapped her foot on the ground and she began rapidly swinging her blade, yelling "Gokuho!"

The lightning dragon was being pushed back heavily by the small blasts of winds. Ameyuri soon found the lightning tornado collapsing upon herself, and rolled to the left to dodge it.

"Trying to catch me in the water? I see your plan as broad as daylight! Senmofu!"

The wind hit the crashing waves of the incoming tide, and a gigantic hurricane unraveled from within the waves. Ameyuri jumped into the air and held her blades in front her.

"Raiton! Sandageto!"

Before the hurricane could collide with her, the thunder swords released several large bolts lightning, exploding outwards. Kujaku's eyes widened, and she moved back as the lightning crashed in front of her.

Ameyuri followed up by taking the next charge, approaching Kujaku rapidly with her blades.

"Your wind's powerful, but my lightning will catch before you can escape!"

"How slow!"

Kujaku ducked under the blades and stabbed Ameyuri in the chest, causing her to reach out as her eyes widened. Her body went numb, and her thunder swords fell from her hands.

Kujaku set her gently on the ground, and Ameyuri choked on her blood as she struggled to keep fighting. The green-haired woman shushed her, and softly cooed to her as if she were a baby, "Shh... Shh...That's enough. Fate has made its choice... Let it be."

However, she suddenly began to feel as if she was drowning, and as she spit up blood, she was confused about the reasoning until she felt the blade stabbing through her sternum.

"H...How?"

"Chigiri Bunshin. A blood mist clone."

Kujaku stared blankly as the clone in front of her lost its form, adding on to her own blood on the soaked sand. Ameyuri slowly pushed her blade further through the woman.

"...Once my blade touches the blood, you will be electrocuted, and will die instantly. Anything you have left to say, better do it now."

The two sat in silence for a couple of moments, and Ameyuri shrugged as she tapped the bloody waters beneath the loyalist, ending her life immediately.

"...Wonder how everyone else is-?"

She stopped and watched as the remains burst into tiny speckles of light, and flew away.

* * *

Haku and Ryugan shared a tug-of-war as the wiring of their blades were tangled up. Haku pulled back, his wire ripping through the blue-haired boy's and jumped forward with a hand seal.

"Hijutsu, Sensatsu Suisho!"

As Haku dashed forward, a thousand ice needles, in the shape of Nuibari, came flying towards Ryugan. He growled down at his broken blade, "Shit! Alright, let's go!"

Lifting the handle, the pieces all began glowing with chakra, and they lifted themselves up in the air, much to Haku's surprise. The blade pieces came together, and forged itself together, and then grew in size, becoming larger and larger. The form of a light-blue dragon appeared, and Ryugan laughed as he gripped the handle, which was the tail of the snake.

Haku and his needles bounced off of the dragon, and Haku found the dragon flying towards him, jaws wide to devour him.

"Hyouton! Hyou Engai!"

As the orifice of the dragon came down upon Haku, Ryugan narrowed his eyes as the dragon turned back to him, its mouth bubble up due to the large ice ball in its mouth.

"Hissatsu Hyoso!"

The dragon was suddenly stabbed many times in its head, as an explosion of ice spikes came from its mouth.

Ryugan's jaw dropped as he cursed, "Shit! How can-"

"Makyo Hyosho."

He circled around, his own movements defined with fear, as he saw many crystals, each holding an image of Haku and Nuibari.

"I'm sorry... This is the fate of a ninja."

Within a matter of seconds, the ice crystals melted, and Ryugan was crouched over, his body bleeding out from the thousands of stitches entering and exiting his body. He glared up to Haku, angry as he hacked up blood on the soaked grass.

"...Damn...you..."

"...Please don't resent me... I'll have to ask you to cease your attack."

Ryugan didn't reply. Instead, he made a handsign, prompting Haku to grab and pull Nuibari, which ended with the boy's body sliced into a million pieces.

"...I tried to help you... You should have listened."

Haku turned away, and didn't witness the light soaring into the sky.

* * *

"Tch, so I gotta hit through that armor, huh? Alright, Suiko, you're on!"

The larger man laughed, "There's no way you can defeat me with that weak shit!"

Mangetsu lifted up Hiramekarei. As Suiko closed in on him, he frowned when his large mace clashed into a gigantic axe.

_'So that sword can change shapes, huh? It doesn't matter! I'm not gonna lose!'_

As the axe pushed him away, he found himself on the defensive end as he was attacked multiple times by a large longsword, courtesy of Hiramekarei.

"None of these forms will help you! Your sword is completely useless!"

"Not really."

The man watched as Mangetsu stabbed his blade into the ground and leaned on it, as if he were waiting.

Suiko narrowed his eyes and commented, "An obvious trap, swordsman. I'm not going to fall for it."

"You already did. Kirigakure no Jutsu."

Below the sword, a spring of water began pouring from the crack in the ground, and Suiko panicked, dashing off to rush towards Mangetsu.

"I won't let you finish! It's over!"

As Mangetsu struggled to call up his mist, Suiko swung his mace, which went through his body, but not in the way he expected. Instead of using water to dodge, the swordsman stood there, unperturbed as the mace phased through him, as if he didn't exist.

"Wha-?"

"Shinkiro no Genjutsu. A mirage."

Suiko's eyes went wide as the 'mist' appeared and surrounded him. The 'Mangetsu' in front of him opened it's mouth wide and absorbed the 'mist' at a rapid rate.

"Wait... This is steam!?"

Before long, 'Mangetsu' formed into a large, chubby version of Mangetsu, and the eerie smiled on its face caused Suiko's heart to beat faster. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape, but made to the attempt to do so anyway.

"Joki Boi."

The real Mangetsu sat on top of a clam, hidden behind a tree as he watched the explosion tore away the surrounding trees. He sighed,"I almost feel bad."

* * *

"Heh... Tobi, you know that Four Celestial group is dead, right?"

Tobi and Yagura sat in the Mizukage office as Kisame walked in unannounced.

"That was the point... The Takumi brats wished to take the Tailed Beasts for themselves, to revive some leader of theirs... Anyway, they were traitors to Akatsuki, so I led them to their deaths."

"You think they'll revive him?"

Tobi looked at Kisame from his single eyes and replied, "Yes... That was the point as well... I want to see what Naruto will do about this..."

Kisame grinned, "Everything you do is planned around this 'Naruto'... I would like to meet this kid for myself."

Tobi chuckled under his mask and stood up.

"You shall... Soon... This war is taking too long... I'm going to speed it up."

He walked towards the window and climb onto it. Kisame raised an eyebrow as the man jumped and disappeared with his time-space technique.

"...Wonder what that guy's gonna do...? Heh, things are gonna finally get interesting, eh Yagura?"

As expected, the influenced Mizukage said nothing and continued mindlessly signing papers.

* * *

As Mangetsu stepped off of the clam, he noticed Ameyuri rushing towards him with her blades drawn, and he raised an eyebrow as slid to a stop in front of him.

"...You okay? What's wrong...?"

"Did your enemy turn into light!?"

Mangetsu blinked, "What?"

Ameyuri pointed upwards, prompting Mangetsu to turn around and see. His eyes widened as light from all over the islands began moving to the sky. As the lights merged together, a pale hand moved from the sphere of light.

"...I...have...returned..."

The Kiri rebels on the ground stared in awe as the light cleared, and a white-haired man in robes made his appearance.

"...I live... again..."

Ameyuri screamed out, "Who the fuck is this chump!?"

Zabuza, who had recently made his appearance behind the two, looked up and narrowed his eyes, "I'd say he was the main backbone behind this force... Yagura wanted them to die and create this guy."

The pale man flexed his hands, and the Garianto appeared in his hands. He held it out, and a gigantic, violet dragon flowed out of it, sending many of the villagers and their homes flying. This sent the rebels into a frenzy, and they began panicking in frightened confusion.

"Shit! What the hell is that monster!?"

"I don't know! We gotta take it down, though! Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Following the captain's actions, many ninja began tossing out their most powerful techniques to halt the beast in its tracks. The robed figure scoffed, and the dragon reared back, opening its jaws wide as it prepared to fire.

"Is that a biju!?"

"What divine power is this!?"

As the dragon charged up its attack, the Kiri rebels began tripping over themselves as they tried to escape. Mangetsu shouted, "Everyone! Get the hell outta the way!"

The beam launched out of the dragon, and flowed towards the ground with a heavy quaking, and Mangetsu covered his eyes as the light flashed.

* * *

Mei watched as the dragon went on its rampage from her spot on the mountain. She sighed and looked down.

"I can't stay here any longer while this goes on. It's my job as Mizukage to protect these people."

Her two guards behind her began protesting, "No, Lady Mizukage! If you die, this entire rebellion will collapse!"

The Mizukage gritted her teeth as she stated, "I can't idle here while this..," she gestured to the dragon, "is going on!"

"But Lady Miz-"

They were cut off as two kunai pierced their skulls, and they crumbled to the ground. Mei eyes went wide as a masked man appeared behind them.

"...You should listen to them, Mei Terumi. Now that Seimei has appeared, this war is as good as done, and Naruto Uzumaki and Yagura will be mine."

"You...! You're the one controlling Yagura's actions! I'll defeat you now, and end this!"

The man tilted his head, and Mei Terumi began to sweat, as she had the image of a predatory smile under that mask.

"...Defeat me? Defeat Madara Uchiha's divine power? I don't think so... But don't worry... I won't kill you."

Mei narrowed her eyes, and 'Madara' stepped forward, continuing with, "You see, I know you've hidden Utakata and the Six-Tails... And I want to know where he is... So either you tell me now or we can take this outside... I have no preference."

Mei growled and stepped into a stance. 'Madara' looked behind her and then back at her.

"You might want to make a decision now. You don't have much time."

Mei glanced slightly over her shoulder, as to keep 'Madara' in her vision. However, when she saw the beam, she turned around and screamed, "No!"

She suddenly felt a whisper flow through her ear, "You don't turn your back on your enemy."

He stabbed her in the back, and was soon surprised as the woman grabbed him pulled him in.

"I knew you would do that."

'Mei' suddenly began glowing orange, and 'Madara's eyes went wide as he flashed out of sight, dodging the explosion at the last moment and breaking through the window. Mei followed after him and landed in front of him.

"...Not bad... But your village..."

Mei Terumi suddenly smiled, and 'Madara' felt the incoming chakra. He mused to himself, "That kid never ceases to amaze me."

"I think the village is in perfect hands."

* * *

The ninja on the ground waited for the explosion. Eventually, they all opened their eyes, and saw that there was no destruction.

Ameyuri looked around and asked, "What the hell happened? Why didn't-"

"There!"

Upon Mangetsu's pointing, Ameyuri and Zabuza turned dropped their jaws as they gazed upon the large, white fox that landed in front of them.

"Where did that just come from!?"

"That brat!"

Zabuza pointed, and on the snout of the beast, Naruto stood, dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, with black, baggy shorts. Tied on his waist was a large obi, which was orange in color. On his back was a large scroll, and around his neck were seals. His arms were crossed as he glared at Seimei, who commented on his appearance.

"...You are... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

Naruto scoffed, "Guess you're with Akatsuki, too! Alright, Kuzunoha! Let's rock!"

* * *

Trivia

-Hoki, Kujaku, Ryugan, and Suiko are the Four Celestial men from that arc of the anime(The one were they try to kidnap Gaara to revive Seimei). In this, they worked for Tobi in order to use the tailed beast to revive their master, and the sacrificing was a last resort. They were also the other four swordsmen's replacement.

-Zabuza defeats Hoki in a similar manner to Naruto freeing Kakashi in the Land of Waves Arc.

-Chigiri Bunshin is Blood Mist Clone. It's the same as a Mizu Bunshin, but uses blood in conjuntion with water.

The Attacks used by Ameyuri and Kujaku are:

Senmofu - Tempest Wind

Gokuho - Great Vacuum Cannon

Rairyu no Tatsumaki - Lightning Dragon Tornado

Raiton: Sandageto - Lightning Style: Lightning Gate

-Haku uses Nuibari because of his connections to needles.

-Mangetsu hasn't fully surpassed the Second Mizukage.

-Naruto's new outfit consists of:

High collared white shirt - See Kushina's shirt for this. Has an orange swirl on the front of it. The white is a reference to both Kushina and Mito.

Orange Obi - See Mito's outfit for this.

Baggy Black Shorts - Same as Haku's.

Scroll - Contains the entrance to Inari's Shrine.

Tags on Neck- See Mito's outfit for this.


	12. Make You Suffer

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

_"Alright, Naruto!"_

Kuzunoha roared as she took to the sky, grabbing the dragon by it's neck and slamming it into the ground. Seimei grunted and dropped the Garianto, letting the dragon roam free. Holding his hand out, a large, black blade appeared in his hand, and he used the dragon as leverage to dash towards Naruto.

Naruto gritted his teeth as the man came down at him. Seimei gripped the blade with two hands and swung with his full force.

_"Naruto! You're gonna have to move him away from you! I'll hold the dragon off until you kill him!"_

"Alright! Here we go!"

Naruto jumped up and balled his hand into a fist, shouting out, "Zankuha!" as he prepared to clash with Seimei's swing. Instead, Seimei launched two giant fireballs from his blade.

"Katon! Goenka!"

Naruto held up a single finger as he shouted, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and a pile of clones appeared in front of him, taking the blast for him. Seimei moved as a swarm of shuriken appeared from the smoky aftermath.

"Henge!"

Seimei turned around and watched as every shuriken behind him became a Naruto clone, and everyone of them came down at him full force. Seimei dropped the fire blade, and the Hisho Shoken double blades appeared in his hands.

"Gokuho!"

Swinging his hands at a rapid pace, he sent thousands of wind blasts and began eliminating a good chunk of the clones, though the remaining few overwhelmed him.

"Gotcha!"

Seimei growled, "No," and a powerful gust of wind swept through the sky as he yelled, "Kujaku Senpujin!"

A large whirlwind vortex pushed the Naruto clones away, and the real one fell out of the sky, pummeling towards the ground.

* * *

"Yoton! Yokai no Jutsu!"

'Madara' swiftly moved away as the large wave of lava crashed into the ground. As Mei swiftly charged him, 'Madara' ducked and swept under her with his leg. Mei felt her feet leave the ground, and as she fell, she watched as he held his finger up to his mask, as if he were shushing her.

"Katon, Daiendan!"

Her eyes went wide, and she barely managed to move with her substitution technique. 'Madara' looked down at the piece of blue fabric from her dress and commented, "Quite good."

Mei sat against the wall of her office as she panted, "Damn... Is this maniac really Madara Uchiha...? But that time-space ninjutsu... he must be..."

"...Are you done?"

Mei's eyes went wide as she looked up, where Madara sat above her. She glared and put her fingers to her mouth, yelling, "I'll watch you melt!"

'Madara' dove back, head first, out of the window as she blew most of the room up. He watched the lava melt down the sides of the wall, and waited for her to appear. As the debris fell away from the room, landing all around him, he sighed in boredom, "You're not dead... I can't have you die... I need that information."

"Then take this!"

'Madara's' eyes went wide as a shard of molten rock phased away in front of him, revealing Mei directly in his face with her palm held out.

"Suiton! Seiryusho!"

_'In an instant!? I can't dodge this on-!'_

His thoughts were cut as she face-palmed his mask, releasing an explosion of water from her palm, and he felt his mask crack under the pressure.

* * *

"Naruto!"

Haku rushed towards him as he collided with the ground. As he leaned over into the crater, he saw Naruto lying unconscious against the many rocks.

"Crap! Naruto!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he groaned as he struggled to lift himself up. Haku reached into the crater and grabbed him, pulling him out and setting him on the ground.

As Haku moved to attend to him, Naruto smacked his hand awayas he groaned, "I'm fine... I'm fine, damnit!"

Haku remarked, "No, you're not. No one hits the ground like that and comes out unharmed."

"Well I'm not no one! I'm Kurama's Jinchuriki, damnit!"

Haku reared back, his hands up in a surrender gesture. He then asked, "Who's Kurama?"

Naruto stood up and stretched, waving Haku off, "Long story. I'll have to tell you later. Gotta get back in the fight!"

Naruto made more hand-signs and shouted, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Haku fell back as a large, dark fox appeared from the smoke, and Naruto jumped on it's head and shouted, "Tamamo no Mae! Let's go!"

The black fox nodded and leaped into the air. It raised it's snout as a large black ball appeared above it, and it's jaws stretched, swallowing it whole. A distorted feminine voice ruptured from it's throat.

_"Sessho-Seki!"_

It's hallowing jaws released the orb, which soared across the forest at high speeds, and Kuzunoha slid to the left as blasted into the dragon's side. As the slender dragon screamed and fell to the ground, Naruto cheered, "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

_"...Naruto! That man is heading this way! Get ready for him!"_

As the two Kitsune summons disappeared in smoke, Naruto landed next to Haku, who blinked as he watched Naruto put his hand into seals.

"Haku, no time to be surprised! Enemy contact, incoming!"

As he stated that, a voice appeared out of the trees, screaming, "Kujaku Senpu!"

Haku and Naruto split off and dodged as a whirling gust of wind separated them from each other. Naruto slid on the ground as to recover. Before he could, he saw a foot rearing towards him out of the corner of his eye, and he reflexively threw his hand up to block. Seimei flipped over his hand and punched the top of his head, sending him to the ground.

Seimei narrowed his eyes as 'Naruto' turned to smoke, and turned around as many clones bull-rushed him.

"I told you... That's futile! Kujaku Senpujin!"

As the winds surrounded him, he was suddenly forced to pause in his movements, as the wind around him suddenly froze. As his arms began to freeze up, the blades dropped and landed in the grass.

"What the hell!? What is this!?"

"Hyoro no Jutsu."

Haku made his appearance from behind the trees as he watched the pale man scream as the winds and moisture combined and solidified around his form. Naruto threw his hands up and cheered, "Good job, Haku!" much to the other boy's chagrin, as Haku blushed in embarassment.

* * *

'Madara stood up and dusted himself off as he glared at the female in front of him. Mei panted as she stared at his face. The mask mostly broke off, covering only the left side of his face. His right side was visible, which held many scars. His visage, however, was full of killing intent, and even in his polite tone, she knew he was not very happy.

"...You actually hit me. I'm quite surprised... but now, I'm annoyed."

Mei gasped as his right eye morphed, becoming the Mangekyou Sharingan. She looked down, as she tried not to make eye contact with him.

"...You've fought the Mangekyou before, I see. Probably Itachi's... However, that won't save you... My Mangekyo Sharingan is not the same as Itachi's."

Mei frowned and prepared a hand-seal, screaming, "Yoton! Yokai no Jut-!"

"Over here."

Her eye twitched in shock as she felt him grab her dress, tossing her over his shoulder. She landed on her back painfully as he held her arm, and placed his foot on her shoulder.

"Naaaaaggggghhhhhh!" Mei cried out pitifully as he completely shattered her shoulder, rendering her arm null and void. He waited for her cries to die down before speaking.

"This is it, Mei Terumi... Cease this pointless resistance."

_I failed..._

Mei's body went completely still, and 'Madara' took that as a sign of surrender. His Mangekyo Sharingan began glowing, and his warping vortex appeared before her.

_This is it... for me..._

"Smart choice, woman."

_But before I go..._

As she felt herself lift from the ground, her she held her left hand out and let go, and 'Madara' noticed the paper bomb attached to the kunai, appearing on its last countdown.

"Shit!"

* * *

Various Kiri rebels rushed into the clearing as Naruto and Haku watched the frozen statue of Seimei. Zabuza walked up to Naruto, who stood and dusted himself off.

"...Man! That sure was difficult."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes down at Naruto and asked, "Where did you learn that fox summon at?"

"Uzushiogakure... You know, where my clan's from...? The Kitsune summons gave me their contract, " he stated, as he gestured to the scroll on his back, "so now I'm like, the fox sage... or somethin'..."

Zabuza grunted as he turned away, and Naruto soon found himself on the ground, courtesy of Ameyuri. He cried out as Ameyuri placed him in a headlock, and began repeatedly tapping the ground in surrender. She growled angrily, "You bastard! Where have you been hidin' that!?"

"You were right there when I explained!"

Ameyuri grinned ferally, causing Naruto to flinch away, "You know we're gonna have to fight again after this, don't 'cha?"

"No! Please just leave me alone!"

While the two were messing around, Mangetsu walked over to the frozen statue, and leaned over to grab something.

"...These must have been his wind swords... Hey, Naruto... Naruto?"

He looked over as Ameyuri grinded her fist on his head in sick glee, and face-palmed, "Ameyuri! Leave him the hell alone!"

Ameyuri growled and stomped over to him, which he simply placed his hand on her face and moved her as he walked past. He stood in front of Naruto, who finally moved to his feet. Naruto flinched back as the twin Hisho Shoken was held directly in his face.

"That's... That's the wind sword that guy was using?"

Mangetsu shrugged, "In the Mist, tradition says 'if you've been defeated, the blade goes to the victor... So this is yours."

Naruto grabbed the blades and looked at them, though with a slight frown.

"What's wrong?"

"...I think they should be buried with him after he's destroyed... I've already seen his techniques... I don't need the swords to replicate them..."

Mangetsu raised an eybrow, though he took them anyway. Suddenly, a loud scream pierced through area, setting everyone in the clearing on edge.

"Lady Mizukage!?"

* * *

Mei rested on the ground, as the explosion knocked her away from him. As she raised herself to all-fours, she sighed and rested her forehead on the ground as she sensed him behind her.

"...Quite tricky, aren't you...? However, you'll pay for that."

_...This isn't...what I thought being Kage consisted of... I always looked to the Kage as a powerful figure... If I can't defeat this man... What good am I to become Mizukage...?_

"I was going to keep you alive...However, I've now decided to take the information by force."

Mei was suddenly grabbed by her throat as 'Madara' lifted her up, glaring directly into her eyes, noting the defiant look in her eyes. He growled and squeezed her neck tighter, causing her eyes to bulge out due to the pain, as he was crushing her trachea. Her skin began to turn blue, as the lack of oxygen became apparent.

"By the time this Genjutsu ends, you will die. I will find Utakata, whether you like it or not. The Rokubi will be mine."

"Kujaku Senpu!"

Before Mei completely blackout, she watched as 'Madara' was thrown across the clearing by a large blast of wind, and Naruto landed in front of her.

"...No... Ru...Run..."

She stared at his blurry figure a while longer before completely passing out.

"Tobi!"

The unmasked figure pulled himself from the rubble, as his frustration rose. The defiant brat glared at him, with an aura of confidence.

_'How did I not sense him!? What the hell did he learn on that goddamned rubble!?'_

"Naruto. I see you've gotten stronger... I see the determination... the killing intent... That was a nice surprise attack, but I won't let that happen again."

Naruto grunted and dove at Tobi, who quickly went through seals and breathed out fire. Naruto panicked and moved to dodge, though he noticed the flames didn't go to far away from Tobi.

As Naruto raised his eyebrow in confusion, his unasked question was answered when he watched the last of the vortex absorbing the fire. He watched as Tobi's Mangekyo Sharingan widened and he screamed, "Katon! Bakufu Ranbu!"

Naruto's eyes widened as the flames encased him, and the only thing he could feel was blistering heat, though it wasn't from the flames...

"The Nine-Tails? Not a chance."

As Naruto dove through the flames, Kurama's chakra encasing him, he reared his hands back to punch Tobi. As he dashed, three tails bubbled out from his back, and the chakra around his head extended, creating fox ears. Tobi tch'd, "I'm disappointed... I'd hope the Nine-Tails would react more..."

"Don't call him that like he's some kind of weapon! His name's Kurama, you idiot!"

Tobi frowned, _'Kurama? What is this imbecile talking about?'_

Shaking his head, his eyes widened as Naruto came closer, and as the Mangekyo Sharingan flashed, Naruto's chakra form disappeared, and he was suspended in the air by Tobi's grip on his throat.

_"You...!?"_

_ Tobi sat at the entrance of Kurama, which was denting heavily under the thrashing caused by the Kyubi. He smirked as he edged closer to the cage, and Kyubi attempted to strike him with his claws. Stopping at the edge, Tobi flashed his teeth as he taunted, "You appear frightened, Nine-Tails... Are you not happy to see that who owns you?"_

_ "I belong to no one! I'll destroy you!"_

_ "Get outta my head!"_

_ Tobi turned as Naruto charged at him from behind. Quickly turning on his heels he picked him up and held him by the neck, smirking as Naruto struggled. In the background, Kurama roared as he attempted to save Naruto before it was too late._

_ "No!"_

_ Tobi's visage darkened, the eeriness of their surroundings causing him to appear particularly haunting as Naruto attempted to kick him._

_ "There is no value in killing you, Naruto Uzumaki... I want to make your life a living hell... You remind me of myself when I was as young as you... When I was an idiot... Foolish... I wish to cause you despair... Crush your hopes and tear your world asunder... I want you to feel pain..." he derided, as he squeezed Naruto's neck, causing him to cry out, "... just as I did.. I want you to run... I want to chase you down to ends of the earth..."_

_ "Naruto!"_

_ Naruto grimaced as he felt his eyes close, though Tobi slammed him onto the ground to wake him back up, and leaned into his face as he picked him back up, continuing, "I want you to hate me... I want you to hate what you'll become... When you decide this world is not worth existing in, I'll let you die... But until that moment... I will make you suffer."_

_ Kurama bashed his form repeatedly into the gate as he roared, "Naruto!"_

_ Naruto's eyes widened as Tobi leaned in closer and whispered, "Tsukuyomi."_

* * *

"GGGGAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

At the sound of the high-pitched scream, Zabuza rushed ahead of Haku, Mangetsu, and Ameyuri, stepping quickly across the branches of the trees.

_'Brat, we're coming!'_

When Zabuza first entered the clearing, the last thing he expected to see was the Mizukage slumped over a shadowed figure's shoulder as he began to walk away, and Naruto's figure lying unconscious on the ground.

"Who are you!?"

The dark man turned to Zabuza just as the man's blade phased through his body, and kicked him back into a tree. As Zabuza went to pull himself, the man held Mei out as he absorbed her into his right eye.

"...Zabuza Momochi... A highly capable ninja, but I don't have the time to enjoy myself."

"Makyo Hyosho!"

As the mirrors surrounded the dark figure, the man screamed out, "Katon! Goka Mekkyaku!

"Katon justu won't wo-"

Haku was cut off as the man released a gigantic blazing wall of fire, which easily melted his mirrors, causing Haku to dash away to escape the flames.

"Suiton! Bakusui Shoha!"

Mangetsu released a wave of water from his mouth as he attempted to combat the flames, through it simply heated the water, reducing it to steam. As the flames moved closer to him, he felt his hand burn up, and watched in shock as his arm was disappearing, becoming vapor. As the sweltering heat nearly evaporated his body, Ameyuri sweeped through and grabbed him by the waist, pulling back and saving him.

Soon, the flames faded on their own accord, and Tobi was nowhere to be seen. Zabuza was seen overshadowing Naruto, who hadn't moved an inch since he landed on the ground. Haku walked over to him, rolling his form over as he attempted to heal him.

* * *

Kisame watched as Tobi entered the room, his masked completely broken, and his robe tattered beyond belief.

"Oh? So someone was able to hit you? You look like hammered shit..."

Tobi grunted and released Mei Terumi from his eye, allowing her to collide with the ground. Kisame gazed at her unconscious form in surprise, "The leader of the rebels? Mei Terumi? Ohohoh, the rebellion must be crushed to have their leader taken away in such a manner."

"Until Naruto wakes back up, that is... He'll convince them to continue, and they'll rush her to save her... So until that time comes, leave her alone," Tobi stated pointedly, holding Kisame down with his glare.

Kisame held up his hands in surrender as he chuckled, "Fine, fine... I won't do anything to her..."

Tobi turned away and walked off into the darkness.

_...How long will I have to make you suffer, Naruto...until you understand despair...?_

* * *

Trivia:

-New Jutsu used was

Katon: Goenka - Fire Style: Flame Flower (Technique Sasuke Uses in Ultimate Ninja 3 (PS2)

Kujaku Senpujin - Peacock Whirlwind Formation

Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu - Lava Style: Lava Monster Jutsu

Katon: Daiendan - Fire Style - Great Fire Bullet (Jiraiya uses this in Sage Mode)

Suiton: Seiryusho - Water Style: Azure Dragon Palm (Ao uses this as a Support Technique in the Ultimate Ninja Storm games)

Kujaku Senpu - Peacock Whirlwind

Hyoro no Jutsu - Ice Prison Jutsu

Katon: Goka Mekkyaku - Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation

-The reason I stopped Naruto's and Seimei's fight so abruptly was because my original idea had Naruto WTFpwning him, so I had Haku end it, and let Tobi knock Naruto out so he won't seem too overpowered.

-I wanted Naruto to have the blades at first, but decided he would better emulating the technique himself, as he does other techniques. I also have another plan with his wind techniques when he gets further down that road.

-Tobi's speech spawned from Itachi's hate speech, and developed further from there.

-Mei's tossing the paper bomb at his face as he uses Kamui is a reference to Naruto vs. Tobi(Ultimate Ninja Storm 3's version) and Konan vs. Tobi.

-They all saw Tobi's face(Obito), but since neither of them knows who the hell he is, it doesn't hold as big an impact to them.


	13. Fear the Hatred

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Zabuza sat in Mei's destroyed office as Haku and Mangetsu stood behind him. He crouched down to stare at the ruined walls as he thought to himself.

"Master Zabuza... What do we do now?"

Zabuza stood up and turned back to his apprentice, "Well for now, Haku, you make sure Naruto is still alive... However, we gotta wake him up before we launch an offensive on the capital... Without him and his summons, we won't last a minute against the Biju."

Haku turned away, to where Naruto lay on the couch, as if he were sleeping.

"...How are we gonna do that?"

Mangetsu sighed, "It's already been taken care of..."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes as he looked to Mangetsu, "What do you mean? I don't know too many healers in the general area..."

Mangetsu corrected him, "I had Ameyuri send a message to Konoha's Hokage... Let him know that Naruto's safe up here, but that man screwed him over."

"You sure we should be going to Konoha for help so soon? How can we be so sure that they'll help us?"

Zabuza clicked his tongue as he pointed back to Naruto, answering to Haku, "Cause we got leverage."

* * *

"Brother, stop with these useless missions... I don't have time for this shit."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he chastised Sasuke, "There's no need for that language. The Hokage gives the missions he believes we deserve..."

Itachi groaned as he leaned back in his chair, "That's the fifth mission you've complained about this week, Sasuke... Can't you be a responsible ninja, and stop whining to me every time you want a harder mission?"

"Then stop giving me useless missions... I don't want to waste my training time, you know, saving some old wrinkled hag's cat."

Even though Sakura disapproved Sasuke's language, even as he bad-mouth the Hokgae, she too agreed that the missions should be harder, though she didn't voice this out loud. Sai ignored them all as he kept drawing.

"Look, Sasuke, you're barely a Genin... Asking for a mission reserved for Chunin is uncalled for."

"Yet, Naruto and his team got mission that took them across the country to Kusagakure."

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he stared at Sasuke, "You know those circumstances already, Sasuke. Cease this childish attitude and-"

Itachi stopped as Yamato and Team Nine entered, and waved Sasuke away as he turned his to them.

"I trust the mission was a success?"

Yamato nodded, "Yes... No troubles at all... Sunagakure received the scroll on schedule."

Itachi sighed, and looked at Team Seven, as he noticed Sasuke turned away to brood, a minute distance from his team.

"...Team Seven, I have a new D-ranked mission for you all. I-"

Itachi was interrupted as Sasuke walked away, huffing as he exited. Placing his hand on his head to alleviate some of his pain, he turned back to Kakashi and his team as they patiently waited and continued, "It's to transport the boxes outside of the Hokage's tower to the exam stadium..."

He trailed off as Sasuke dodged a messenger pigeon soaring past him as it landed on Itachi's desk. Itachi reached over for the note and began skimming through it quickly. As his eyes widened, he turned to the Genin and hurriedly stated, "You are all excused... As a matter of fact, go away."

The children flinched as they exited the room, and Itachi ordered the Jonin closer.

"Apparently, the rebels in the Hidden Mist have Naruto... Meaning he probably got himself caught in the Land of Waves..."

Kakashi frowned, and Yamato's eyes widened, as he exclaimed, "Naruto!? He's been found!?"

Kakashi stepped forward, "Are they using him as leverage for our help?"

"...Yes... Though the note actually states they need some one to cure him... He was knocked out by a Uchiha dressed in black robes with red clouds."

Kakashi's eye bulged out as he stated, "You mean!?"

"...Most likely Madara Uchiha..."

Yamato looked at the two in confusion, though eventually, he cleared his mind and slamed his fist on the desk, "Give me the mission...! My student may be in dang-!"

Itachi interrupted, "...You're coming with me... We are all going."

Kakashi frowned and closed his book as he looked back towards the door, "What about them?"

Itachi sighed as he grabbed his Kage hat on his way around the desk, "...Most likely, they listened in and heard this entire conversation, which means that Sasuke, Yakumo, and Sora are almost out of the village... The other three are outside, waiting to tell us that they've left... Might as well take them with us."

Kakashi and Yamato nodded and followed him as he pushed the door open, where Sakura and Karin were both there waiting. At the same time, they both shouted, "Lord Hokage! Sasuke and the others-!"

Itachi held his hand out, quieting her instantly as he spoke, "I know. If you want to catch up to them, you might want to hurry up."

* * *

Sasuke finally reached the gate to exit Konoha, followed by Sora, Yakumo in tow, as they rushed through the village.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke's expression switched to shock as Itachi appeared in front of him, clotheslining him as he crossed the gate's exit. He slammed into the ground hard, rubbing the back of his head in severe pain.

"That hurts, damnit!"

Itachi stared down at him unsympathetically as he chided, "I know you're in a rush to save Naruto, but abandoning your team and taking off into a foreign country is stupid... Watch your actions, Sasuke, or you might end up an international criminal for that."

Sasuke groaned and picked himself up. Itachi glanced back as Kakashi had gathered his team together, and Yamato began yelling at his Genin, even though Yakumo and Sora were obviously not paying any attention.

Itachi held his finger out as a crow flew from the tip of it, soaring in the sky towards Umi no Kuni. By that point, the additional ninja had stopped their bickering and watched Itachi, waiting for his next move.

"Our travel begins here... To retrieve a valued comrade of Konoha... Let's go."

* * *

"Is the dude ever gonna wake up?"

Mangetsu looked down at his little brother, who passed him a glass of water. Taking it and gulping it down immediately, he watched as his hand began repairing itself immediately. He looked over to Naruto, who lay on the couch in silence. Haku sat next to him as he changed his rag.

Sighing to himself, he answered, "Should be... The Hokage said he was coming here to deal with it personally... Considering a Uchiha did this to him, another should be able to reverse it..."

Suigetsu nodded and handed his brother another glass, which was gone as soon as it left his hand. Hearing a knocking on his door, Mangetsu turned to his brother, "Go get the door."

"Your legs are able! Go get it your damn self! It's probably for you anyways!"

Mangetsu repeated, "I'm handicapped. Go get the door."

Suigetsu grumbled and stood up, walking out of the kitchen and down the long hallways of the substitute Hozuki Clan compound. He reached the door as the knocking sound began again.

"I'm coming, damnit!"

Gritting his teeth as he pulled open the door, he was surprised when the white-haired boy and blonde girl stood at his door.

"Kimimaro? Hotaru? What is it?"

Before he could answer, Hotaru kicked Suigetsu in the stomach, knocking him to the ground as she began screaming, "Where the hell have you been!? Sensei's been wondering where you've been!"

Suigetsu rubbed the back of his head as he struggled to come up with an excuse, "Um...Taking care of my brother? Yeah... You know, he's handicapped now after the battle an-"

"Your friends want you to come out and play?"

Suigetsu jumped as Mangetsu stood behind him, sipping out of a cup with a silly straw. He turned and snarled at his brother, "I thought you were handicapped!?"

"...Dude, my legs still work... I'm not that useless."

Suigetsu anger twisted his face, and before he could reach out to hit Mangetsu, Kimimaro grabbed him and pulled him away, "Sorry to trouble you, Lord Hozuki... We'll be taking this idiot back with us.

Mangetsu sipped on his water and waved as Suigetsu allowed himself to be dragged off, crossing his arms in fury.

"...So... How long are you gonna sit there, Ameyuri...?"

He heard the rustle of the bushes, and she revealed herself with a groan, "How did you know I was there?"

"The moisture in my plants. I can sense things connected to water nearby, remember?"

"Tch."

Ameyuri walked past him, towards the inside of his house before stopping and turning back around, her eyebrows wide in surprise and disgust, "Wait, you sense _all_ water...? Does that mean you can... you know?"

Mangetsu sipped from his straw as he stared blankly at Ameyuri. They sat in uncomfortable silence before Ameyuri vulgarly gestured to her babymaker, causing Mangetsu to rapidly spit out his water as he coughed out, "Why the hell do you wanna know that!?"

"Well, can you!?"

"I'm not answering that question! Go away!"

Ameyuri blanched and walked further in his house, much to Mangetsu's chagrin.

"I didn't invite you in my house! Get out, sicko!"

Ameyuri waved at him from down his hall, "I'm bored... the brat's knocked out, and I plan on using your training area to take that kid down when he wakes up."

Mangetsu panicked, "My girlfriend's coming over soon, so I need you out of the house, like, now!"

Ameyuri smirked slyly over her shoulder, "Just pretend I'm not here... I'm promise you won't be able to sense any water from me!"

Mangetsu blanched, "Stop saying weird shit!"

* * *

Tobi looked down at the fallen form of Utakata and used Kamui to bring him to the other dimension. Kisame leaned against the rock, watching as the boy disappeared into his eye. The man's new mask, which was orange, was covered in a black flame design.

"...Hm... Did you get a chance to stretch your muscles?"

Kisame grinned a predatory smile, "Not really... Put up a fight, but Samehada here's a monster... probably worse than the Biju..."

Tobi nodded and motioned for him to follow. As Kisame followed him, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"...Back to Kirigakure... The last of the civil war ends soon... You have one last task before we can leave to Amegakure..."

"Hm? And what would that be...?"

Tobi looked at him from over his shoulder, and Kisame had the distinct feeling that he was smiling quite dementedly.

* * *

A few days later, the Konoha group finally arrived at the Hidden Mist's rebel base. Zabuza waited at the gate as Itachi walked up to him, followed by his Jonin escorts and their Genin.

"...You're Itachi Uchiha? Kinda younger than I thought... You're barely older than the new generation of Swordsmen..."

Itachi stared blankly at him, "I'm sure if you've met Naruto already, then you should know that age is nothing but a number."

Kakashi mentally groaned, _'Wrong context, Itachi...'_

Zabuza shrugged and motioned for him and the Jonin to follow him. He looked over to the rest of the Genin, "If you want to find Naruto, he's at the Hozuki Clan compound... Haku here will guide you."

The group watched as the 'female' landed in front of them, wearing a pink kimono over 'her' ninja sandals. Zabuza moaned, "Haku! Can't you be normal for once!? Take off that ridiculous dress!"

"I just-"

Zabuza growled and pointed away, "Dress off. These kids aren't Naruto! Stop playing your silly little cross-dress pranks!"

Sasuke stuttered, as he believed he had misinterpreted, "Wha...? Cr-Cross-dress...?"

Haku grinned as 'she' blushed, scratching the back of 'her' head, "Sorry... But I'm a guy... Surprise?"

Sasuke passed out instantly. Yakumo rolled her eyes and looked over to Sora, who struggled to keep himself balance, though he eventually passed out as well. Zabuza and Itachi both face-palmed when Kakashi fell back, falling unconscious as well.

"Haku! Change! Now!"

* * *

"Naruto..."

Yakumo crouched over Naruto, grabbing holding his hand with both of hers. Sora stood behind her, and Sasuke next to him as they watched his silent slumber. Sasuke turned back to Itachi, who stared down at Naruto with a blank expression.

"Can you heal him...?"

"I can at least pull him out of that Genjutsu Madara placed on him... Whether he wakes up or not depends on him..."

Yakumo turned around and screamed at Itachi, "He's not going to give up! Don't talk like he's just gonna lie here and die!"

Itachi frowned at her, but sighed at her naïvety.

_'I only hope that man didn't completely tear Naruto's mind apart... Either Naruto will be too scared to wake up... or he'll become ensnared in the everlasting cycle of hatred and revenge... and I really don't like either choice...'_

Itachi walked over to Naruto, closing his eyes. Soon, they snapped open, his Mangekyo Sharingan activated. He looked to Sasuke and told him, "Open his eyes..."

Sasuke nodded and use his fingers to lift Naruto's eyelids, and Itachi closed his right eye as he stared at him with his left.

"Tsukuyomi!" He yelled as he _felt himself move to Naruto's subconscious._

_"I haven't been here in a while..."_

_Itachi walked down the sewers of the Nine-Tails' cage, though he noted the invertedness of the colors._

_"Must be because of the Tsukiyomi."_

_He turned the last corner, as he remembered, and walked into the large room, where the Kyubi was locked away. He walked in, and saw Naruto sitting in the center. He sat there, bundled up in fear as he watched the inside of the cage._

_"Naruto."_

_The boy didn't react to the sound of his voice, and Itachi stepped closer to him._

_"What are you doing here, Itachi?"_

_Itachi stopped and looked into the cage, noticing the shadowed form of the Biju. As he stared further into it's eyes, Itachi's eyes widened, as he noticed the shadowed beast only had one eye, and that eye was the Mangekyo Sharingan._

_"...So Madara used you to torture Naruto...?"_

_The shadow said nothing as it glared down at Itachi._

_"Itachi..."_

_Itachi looked down at Naruto as he stood to his feet. Itachi walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder._

_"It'll be alright, Naruto. I'm going to end your nightmare... This'll tak a sec-"_

_He halted his speech and jumped back as Naruto turned around completely to look at him. The main difference about him was the cruel smirk placed on his face, and the black sclera behind his red irises._


	14. Cycle of Hatred

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

_ "...Naruto?"_

_ However, upon seeing 'Naruto's' haunted eyes, Itachi began to believe otherwise._

_ "...This must be the effects of Tsukuyomi."_

_ 'Naruto' laughed, a hollowed, haunting sound to Itachi's ears as he said, "Sure... Continue to deny it if you want... I don't care..."_

_ 'Naruto' began walking forward, and Itachi stood as he tried to discern Naruto's problem, "...Are you not the Genjutsu Madara placed on him?"_

_ "No."_

_ Itachi frowned, and prepared a hand-sign underneath his sleeve. 'Naruto' held his hands in the air, as if he were waiting for Itachi to attack him._

_ "Give up?"_

_ "...Then who are you? And where is Naruto?"_

_ "I'm right here... What are you talking about, Itachi?"_

_ In a flash, Itachi threw a shuriken and yelled, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_ "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_ Naruto copied, and the shuriken clashed into each other. Itachi reached back and tossed more, and Naruto did the same. Once the shuriken fell from the sky, landing in the murky waters below, Itachi and Naruto resumed their normal stances._

_ "I'm a master at the Kage Bunshin, Itachi... You should know that better than anyone, considering I have the fox on my side..."_

_ At Naruto's final words, Itachi suddenly realized, "Naruto doesn't have the fox on his side... Naruto is not as proficient in the Shadow Clone. Are you a manifestation of the Nine-Tails' hatred?"_

_ Naruto smiled and began chuckling, "You're getting warmer... But no, that's not correct."_

_ "...So you're Naruto's hatred... The hatred that he keeps bottled up inside him."_

_ Naruto held his hands out and smirked, "Believe it. I represent all the hatred he has for this world... For that masked fellow... For you..."_

_ Itachi looked down to his feet and asked, "For me...?"_

_ "Yes, for you... He hates change... He dislikes replacements... And you're trying to replace Old Man Sarutobi..."_

_ Itachi glared at him as he growled, "He knows I'm not trying to replace the Third!"_

_ 'Naruto' smirked and continued, "...He hates you...because you ran away... You ran away and let the old man die..."_

_ "I... I didn't-"_

_ However, 'Naruto' frowned, his eyes flashing blue, and he interrupted while screaming, "You did! You ran away and let Tobi kill him! And the village scorns me, yet look at you like you're some kind of hero!? Heroes aren't cowards! Heroes don't run away from their leaders... And they don't pretend, replacing the ones they let die!"_

_ Itachi swiftly moved in front of 'Naruto', looking down as the boy gasped, "...So you are here, Naruto... That was definitely you..."_

_ 'Naruto' growled and kicked at his shin when Itachi picked him up by his collar, "Lemme go!"_

_ The Uchiha teenager stared into his eyes, and Naruto could feel that a decision had been made, deep inside Itachi's own heart._

_ "...For what it's worth... I'm sorry... Naruto..."_

_ "You bastard!"_

_ Naruto twisted and kicked him the stomach, and Itachi slid back on his heels, stopping at the entrance of the area. Naruto shook his head as he landed, crouched on the ground._

_ "Itachi..."_

_ Itachi looked down at Naruto as he stood to his feet. Itachi walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder._

_ "It'll be alright, Naruto. I'm going to end your nightmare. This'll tak a sec-"_

_ He halted his speech and jumped back as Naruto turned completely to look at him. The only thing different about him was the cruel smirk placed on his face, and the black sclera behind his red irises._

_ "...Naruto?"_

_ However, upon seeing his haunted eyes, he believed otherwise._

_ "...This must be the effects of Tsukuyomi."_

_ 'Naruto' laughed, a hollowed, haunting sound to Itachi's ears as he said, "Sure... Continue to deny it if you want... I don't care..."_

_ 'Naruto' began walking forward, and Itachi stood as he tried to discern Naruto's problem, "...Are you not the Genjutsu Madara placed on him?"_

_ "No."_

_ Itachi frowned, and prepared a hand-sign underneath his sleeve. 'Naruto' held his hands in the air, as if he were waiting for Itachi to attack him._

_ "Give up?"_

_ "...Then who are you? And where is Naruto?"_

_ "I'm right here... What are you talking about, Itachi?"_

* * *

Itachi sighed and shook his head, standing up as Yamato went over to him. Itachi held his hand over his eye as Yamato asked, "What happened?"

"...Nothing."

Itachi shrugged away Kakashi's hand as he turned to walk out of the room. Yakumo stopped him by screaming out, "Wait! What happened to Naruto!? Is he going to wake up!?"

"...When he wants to. Until he lets his hatred go, he won't."

"What the hell does that mean!?"

Sasuke frowned when he noticed Itachi's left eye... or lack of it... As Itachi walked away, covering the blood pooling from beneath his hand, Sasuke commented, "Itachi...? What happened to yo-?"

Quickly, Itachi interrupted, "Kakashi, Yamato... Come with me to speak to Zabuza... Let the children sit with Naruto."

"Hey, brother, don't ignore me! What's with your eye!?"

Itachi glanced over to Sasuke with his good eye, before shaking his head and walking out, with his Jonin escorts following him. As he exited, and finally out sight and hearing range from the others, Kakashi finally began to speak.

"So... What is wrong with your eye? Another Mangekyo genjutsu, I presume?"

"...It's nothing... I have a spare back in Konoha..."

* * *

As the Hokage left, the room moved to silence. The only sound heard was Yakumo's sobbing as she held on to her teammate. Sasuke angrily punched a hole the in the wall and screamed, "Damn him! Maybe my Sharingan can-"

"Undo your brothers technique? Fat chance."

In the corner of the room, Suigetsu leaned against his wall, drinking from his silly straw as he stared across the room. Sasuke growled and ran up to him, grabbing his neck.

"Who the hell asked you!?"

Sasuke suddenly noticed that his fingers were soaked, and he was surprised as the boy slipped out of his grasp literally.

"Calm down... That guy, the Hokage? He said if Naruto was to let go of his hatred or sumthin', he'd let 'em go, right? That means he's under some test..."

Yakumo glared at him from her spot next to Naruto and growled, "And Naruto's bad at tests!"

As the entire room fell under silence, Suigetsu shrugged, "...Well... Your teammates fucked, that's all I can say."

"Suigetsu. Stop saying things like that. No one in this room needs to hear bullshit like that."

Sora jumped in surprise as the voice came from behind him, and he, along with everyone else in the room, turned as Mangetsu stood behind him, drinking from his own cup.

"...Naruto's not going to quit... I don't believe he's gonna stay down... The kid's a golden apple, ya know?"

* * *

"...Da fuck happened to your eye?"

"Kakashi inspires me so much... I wanted to be just like him when grew up, you know?"

Yamato sighed as Itachi held his headband over his eye, similar to Kakashi. The original cyclops shook his head as they turned back to Zabuza, who simply blinked uncaringly.

"Yeah, whatever... However, as far as I'm concerned, we need to get Mei back as soon as possible... If that man is Madara Uchiha, with his 'divine' genjutsu prowess and all, Terumi's going to spill the beans on Utakata in no time..."

Though Zabuza didn't finish, Itachi did it for him, "... And then she loses all value, meaning he can discard her at anytime."

"Exactly. That means we're going to have to move as quickly as possible... Probably as soon as Naruto wakes up."

Yamato scowled and looked towards the window, something that Kakashi noticed. He turned to him fully and asked, "Yo, Yamato...? What's wrong?"

The Jonin ignored Kakashi, and instead, walked past him to Zabuza as he inquired, "If you all have this... 'Utakata' or something, why the hell do you need my student? Why are you risking our Jinchuriki instead of your own?"

Zabuza glowered down at Yamato, and the two entered an intense stare-down as Itachi and Kakashi tried to subtly move Yamato away.

"...Mei Terumi was the closest person to him before he left... Only she knows where he's hidden, and she has no plans of telling anyone from Mizugakure."

The Hokage slightly pushed Yamato back, allowing the former ANBU's captain to hold him back as he turned to Zabuza and stated, "If that's the case, then when are you prepared to move out? Naruto has not fully tapped into the Nine-Tails chakra, meaning he's still no match for the Mizukage. We three shall suffice for this operation."

"The Hokage's gonna get his hands dirty? That's impressive... If you three are ready, then we can move tomorrow, break of dawn."

* * *

_In a flash, Itachi threw a shuriken and yelled, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_**I have seen it... This... I have viewed this scene many times over.**_

_ "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

_ **What the hell did Itachi do to me...?**_

_ Naruto copied, and the shuriken clashed into each other. Itachi reached back and tossed more, and Naruto did the same. Once the shuriken fell from the sky, landing in the murky waters below, Itachi and Naruto resumed their normal stances._

_ "I'm a master at the Kage Bunshin, Itachi... You should know that better than anyone, considering I have the fox on my side..."_

_ **But neither is he... No one understands my hatred... Not even the fox.**_

_ At Naruto's final words, Itachi suddenly realized, "Naruto doesn't have the fox on his side... Naruto is not as proficient in the Shadow Clone. Are you a manifestation of the Nine-Tails' hatred?"_

_ Naruto smiled and began chuckling, "You're getting warmer... But no, that's not correct."_

_ **Hatred... Hatred of you... You who ran, and let that man take everything away from me.**_

_ "...So you're Naruto's hatred... The hatred that he keeps bottled up inside him." _

_ **Hatred that extends beyond Tobi... This world holds nothing but despair for me. **_

_ Naruto held his hands out and smirked, "Believe it. I represent all the hatred he has for this world... For that masked fellow... For you..."_

_ Itachi looked down to his feet and asked, "For me...?"_

_ "Yes, for you... He hates change... He dislikes replacements... And you're trying to replace Old Man Sarutobi..."_

_ Itachi glared at him as he growled, "He knows I'm not trying to replace the Third!"_

_ 'Naruto' smirked and continued, "...He hates you...because you ran away... You ran away and let the old man die..."_

_ "I... I didn't-"_

_ **You did.**_

_ However, 'Naruto' frowned, his eyes flashing blue, and he interrupted while screaming, "You did! You ran away and let Tobi kill him! And the village scorns me, yet look at you like you're some kind of hero!? Heroes aren't cowards! Heroes don't run away from their leaders... And they don't pretend, replacing the ones they let die!"_

_ Itachi swiftly moved in front of 'Naruto', looking down as the boy gasped, "...So you are here, Naruto... That was definitely you..."_

_ **...So you figured it out, huh...? How deep the hatred runs through my veins.**_

_ 'Naruto' growled and kicked at his shin when Itachi picked him up by his collar, "Lemme go!"_

_ The Uchiha teenager stared into his eyes, and Naruto could feel that a decision had been made, deep inside Itachi's own heart._

_ "...For what it's worth... I'm sorry... Naruto..."_

_ **I'm not.**_

_ "You bastard!"_

_ Naruto twisted and kicked him the stomach, and Itachi slid back on his heels, stopping at the entrance of the area. Naruto shook his head as he landed, crouched on the ground._

_ "Itachi..."_

_ Do you wish to leave this... cycle of hatred...? Naruto...?_

_ Naruto gazed up to the cage of Kurama, and glared into the fox's darkened eyes._

_ "Don't speak like you understand my hatred, Kurama."_

_ But I do... My hatred runs far beyond your miniscule, childish tantrum... But with it together, we can expand the horizons of this world... Let this world know our hatred..._

_ "...This world is stupid... It won't understand it..."_

_ Then make them... Madara Uchiha's way is pitiful... Changing the world? Screw that... End it all..._

_ "...You sound like some cheesy comic book villain."_

_ …_

_ Naruto chuckled and turned away, commenting, "Destroying the world, huh? Are you really...that angry at this world? Because you were nothing but a weapon to the Uzumaki?"_

_ "Do not misjudge our clan, young Uzumaki... You don't understand it very well, either..."_

_ Naruto's eyes widened as the female voice resonated from behind him, and his head snapped around quickly. At the same time, Kurama's eyes bulged out and he scurried away in fear, screaming, "You!? How the hell did you...!?"_

_ "...Long time, no see... Nine-Tails..."_

* * *

When the woman woke, all she saw was darkness. In the distance, she could hear the sound of dripping water, and she struggled to remember what had happened previously.

"...I defeated you and brought you back... I would have liked to keep you for Utakata's sealing, but I'm impatient."

She blinked multiple times to clear away the blur in her vision, and she noticed a masked figure standing in the corner.

"...You... Madara...Uchiha..."

The man chuckled and relieved himself from the wall, walking over to her and commenting, "I see you haven't lost everything, huh, Mei Terumi?"

"...If you already have Utakata, why am I still alive...?"

'Madara' looked down at her with his one eye, and his head shifted to tilt to his other side.

"...I wish to see Naruto's development... When he wakes, he and those Mist Rebels will be on their way to save you... If you're dead, Naruto will accept the inevitable, and won't come to understand true hatred... The hatred one feels when they have truly lost what's precious to them."

"...You're a sick man."

The man chuckled once more and replied, "No... I'm a dead man... Anyway, you're not too important on his precious people list, so you've no worth to me either... You'll just sit here until he rescues you..."

Mei grunted as she slowly struggled to a kneeling position, "If you want to keep playing with your food, then I hope he kills you... and saves Yagura and Utakata from your clutches!"

"...Well... I hope he kills me, too... And about the other two, they're already dead."

The last words spoken froze Mei's blood, and she stared at him in shock, "...Yagura...? He...!?"

"...Yes... He's dead... The rebel's assassinated him, remember?"

Mei glowered and gritted her teeth as she realized what 'Madara' was planning to do, "You're going to frame the rebel faction!?"

"...Nope... They assassinated him, which is why you're in prison, idiot. And thanks to you, the world has to suffer the wrath of the Three-Tails, which ran free and destroyed many cities in Mizu no Kuni... Way to go, stupid broad... Thanks to you, we had to seal the Tailed Beast in another Jinchuriki..."

Mei looked over his shoulder as he pointed to the other man in the room, and she gasped as the shark-like man grinned at her and waved.

"...So... You and Kisame are both going to frame me...? Is this why you really want me alive...?"

The masked man looked at her and blinked.

"...Yep..."

* * *

As the sewer began glowing, blinding everyone in a burst of light, Naruto soon found himself in a room, where the familiar swirl design of his shirt was embedded on the walls. One particularly noticeable one was at the headboard of the bed in front of him. He continued to stare at the woman sitting on the mattress, her legs crossed as if she were meditating. Naruto began sweating under the woman's stern gaze.

"...You... You're an Uzumaki...? Why are you...?"

"...I was one of Kurama's Jinchuriki, after all... I'd have a seal prepared for such future beings..."

Naruto stood at attention as she spoke, and he adopted a thinking pose as he spoke out loud, "But there's only been three Jinchuriki..."

The red-haired woman was dressed in a white kimono, white twin buns on both sides of her head. A large, gold crown sat on her head, with two tags attached to them, and on her forehead rested a diamond. The woman's stern expression let up and she smiled, commenting, "...Guess you're not as dimwitted as I thought, for being related to Namikaze... However, you are right... I am Mito Uzumaki..."

Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized her as being an elder Uzumaki woman, and the first Jinchuriki of Kurama.

_'...Who'd have thought that the First Hokage's wife would be super hot? You'd think his wife would've been a stuck-up, rich and snobby bit- Wait... Is she related to me by blood...? I don't want to think about my grandma's hotness or something... Man, that shit sounds so wrong...'_

As Naruto blinked to clear his thoughts, he slightly covered himself with his arms in embarrassment as she gave him a knowing gaze.

"...So why are you here...?"

"You've let your hatred run rampant... I'm here to fix that."

* * *

Notes:

-All right, now that Spring Break's over, it's back to quick updates.

* * *

Trivia:

-Itachi did use Izanami, but as mentioned, he has a spare Mangekyou Sharingan, which if you're up-to-date with Naruto, you'd know who it belongs to. If you do, then you'd know that its ability only works every ten years (Unless user has Senju DNA), so it won't make Itachi overpowered or anything.

-Yagura's dead, and Kisame's the new Jinchuriki for the Sanbi.

-Minato and Kushina's seals are still the same as Canon, however, my addition is now:

Minato - Appears when Naruto loses control of Kurama.

Kushina - Appears when Naruto is trying to control Kurama.

Mito - Appears when Naruto (or any Jinchuriki of Kurama) connects to Kurama through hatred.

-The room Naruto's in is the same one where Mito's and Kushina's conversation is.


	15. Counterbalance

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"...My hatred?"

"Yes. You see, the Nine-Tails is a being of hatred, and it can sense and understand it better than anyone. Not even the greatest of sensory ninja could perform such a feat."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as the woman spoke and asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

"...That is what the Nine-Tails wants... To control you through your hatred. The more hate contained with you, the more chakra he can siphon from you."

At Mito's last words, Naruto jumped back slightly. Mito stared at him, and Naruto stuttered, "...S-Siphon...from me?"

"Hatred is the fox's strength. To combat that, you need love... In a sense, you've become nothing more than his chakra feeding ground, and he will continue to feed from your hatred until you become just as insane as he is."

Naruto scowl and crossed his arms, an act that Mito would have found cute if the situation wasn't so serious. He cursed out, "Love? To combat the fox? Fuck that!"

Mito frowned and sighed, "I thought you would have felt that way... However, regardless, I can't leave until the Kyubi stops absorbing your chakra."

"...How do I do that? I don't wanna die to the fox! And Itachi won't let me outta this genjutsu!"

"...It's simple... Let your hatred go."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and he turned away from the woman.

"...Just let it go? Just rid myself of my entire existence? Hatred is what drives me..."

Mito's countenance darkened, and she stood from her bed to drag herself over to the boy.

"It's okay to hate a little. There is no such thing as a shinobi without hatred. However, it is up to those few people to not let it control you... You have to control it."

"...You sound like this isn't new to you at all..."

Mito shrugged and resumed into her normal stance, commenting, "...I've watched the downfall of my clan, and I've seen the death of my husband... Sometimes, I wished that we Uzumaki didn't live long."

"Your husband? The First Hokage?"

Mito nodded and glanced over by her dresser. Naruto followed her gaze to it, noticing the picture of the Shodai Hokage on it. Next to it, a picture of the Second Hokage sat upright.

"...Whoa! You banged the Second, too, old lady? That's wicked!"

Mito's eye twitched in anger as the excited ten-year-old ran over to the picture frames and screamed, "I wouldn't touch Tobirama with a ten-foot pole! He's a man dedicated to being an ass for the rest of his life!"

Naruto flinched away, tripping on his feet as he stared back at the angry woman.

"Uh... Sorry?"

"Don't be... I used to hate him a lot, too... However, he helped me keep the Nine-Tails in check when my husband died..."

* * *

"...So you've heard, Ameyuri?"

The shark-like woman grunted at Haku, "Yes, I know. We attack tomorrow, blah, blah... Now. go away."

Sighing and shaking his head, Haku turned away and moved over to Mangetsu, who was scolding Suigetsu about something. The boy gasped at his loss of air as Mangetsu slammed him on the ground, gripping his neck tightly.

"...Suigetsu, what have you done now?"

The boy struggled to get away from his older brother's grasp, however, Mangetsu ruined his attempts by squeezing his neck tighter.

"Lemme go!"

"Stop harassing Isaribi! Quit calling my girlfriend fish face!"

"But she has scales on her face! She's a sea monster!"

This was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Mangetsu's eyes gained a maniacal, insane look to them and he roared, "GGRRRAAAAGGGGHHHH!"

"Noooo! You've become a sea monster, too!"

Haku heard someone sigh next to him, causing him to turn his head towards the sound. Next to him, a woman with purple hair face-palmed herself. The woman had bandages wrapped around most of her body, and she wore the clothing of a hunter-nin.

"...I really wish he'd stop calling me that."

Haku shrugged and gazed back at the fighting brothers, sighing as he shook his head.

"...You shouldn't worry so much, Haku. That boy, Naruto? He's gonna wake up soon."

"How did yo-?"

"...You have a very expressive visage, Haku. It's easy to tell... Mangetsu knows it, too, even if he pretends he doesn't care. And so does Ameyuri."

Haku frowned and looked over into the other room, where the Konoha Genin still sat with Naruto.

_'...You better wake up soon, idiot.'_

* * *

"Never mind that... The point I'm making...is that it's no good to hold on to that hatred... You've got to let it go at some point... Unless you want to become like Madara Uchiha..."

Naruto's eyes went wide, and the image of the masked man flashed in his head.

_There is no value in killing you, Naruto Uzumaki... I want to make your life a living hell... You remind me of myself when I was as young as you... When I was an idiot... Foolish... I wish to cause you despair... Crush your hopes and tear your world asunder... I want you to feel pain... Just as I did.. I want you to run... I want to chase you down to ends of the earth..._

_ I want you to hate me... I want you to hate what you'll become... When you decide this world is not worth existing in, I'll let you die... But until that moment... I will make you suffer._

"...How can you claim to be against that man when you both stand at the same crossroads, Naruto? What makes you and Madara so different...?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and growled, "I'm... I'm not the same as him! Don't compare me to him!"

He said nothing else, and Mito watched him sob in silence. His small form shook and he fell to the ground.

"...I'm...not..."

"He lost everything... You have, too... He wants to bring this world despair... Do you not want others to feel what you feel? To understand your pain?"

_If you think I'm just a foolish kid ruled by his emotions, that's fine. Following Itachi's path would be childish, the whispering of fools who don't know hatred. If anyone else tries to ridicule the way I live, I'll slaughter everyone they ever cared about. And then maybe they'll understand what it's like to taste… a little of my hatred._

_ "Allow me your hatred, Naruto..."_

_ When Naruto opened his eyes, he was back in the sealing room, and Kurama held his eyes with his predatory gaze, and Naruto glared back at him._

_ "...What happened to you? Your hatred... I can feel it... I know it's there... But at the same time, I can't touch it..."_

_ "...What you hate...and what I hate are two completely different things. I might spend eternity hating Itachi and that masked man... But I won't allow you to take control of me."_

_ "..."_

"Naruto."

Naruto turned around at the sound of his name, and looked back to Mito, who had moved to her bed.

"Come here."

He stepped forward to her, and she reached out and grabbed him, pulling him towards her. He squeaked as she pulled him in for a hug.

"We came here to be the vessels of the Nine-Tails... But before that, we must find love and fill the vessel with it... You claim you've lost everything... That when Sarutobi died, that was the end of your love for the village..."

_Naruto... Are you ever going to wake up...?_

At the sound of the female voice, Naruto briefly pulled away from Mito and stared towards the ceiling in shock.

"Ya-Yakumo!?"

_That kid'll wake up... He's a golden apple, after all._

_Idiot... Stop lying there like some dummy. Wake up._

_Wake up... We still have so much time left, dumbass... Mommy still wants to play..._

Naruto shivered at the last voice, and Mito laughed and continued, "You still have too many friends to say you've lost everything... They're waiting for you to wake, so for a little while, put aside your hatred... Convert that energy into something else... When that love becomes your strength, I'll allow you to come back here, and then you tell Granny Mito everything."

Naruto's eyes widened as the woman's expression changed, and he recognized her motherly smile.

"...Granny?"

That smile was the last thing he saw before everything went white. Mito smirked and _turned back towards the cage of Kurama, where the fox glared angrily at her._

_ "...Your time has long passed, woman! Stay outta my business with my vessel!"_

_ "...If he uses your power, only hatred will come from it. Stay tranquil deep inside here."_

_ "GGGAAAGGGGHHHH! DAMN YOU!"_

* * *

"...This better be a woman's lap... I'm gonna be pissed if it's a guy's..."

At that very instant, every Konoha Genin in the room woke from their stupor, and Yakumo looked down at his face when he spoke.

"Naruto!?"

Naruto sighed and rolled away from Yakumo's lap, hitting the ground as he struggled to stand up. Sora and Sasuke moved over to him and pulled him up. As they did so, Sasuke turned towards his teammate and screamed, "Sakura! Go tell brother that this dumbass is up!"

"My, my, Sasuke... Tell everyone in the world, why don't ya?"

Mangetsu walked into the room, followed by Ameyuri and Haku. He put down his drink and grinned at Naruto, "Good to see you're back, champ."

"Hell yes! Blondie, we can fight again!"

Even though the boy had just awoken, he recognized that voice, causing him to cry and move Sasuke in front of him.

"Noooo! Keep her away from me!"

Ameyuri frowned and rolled up her sleeves as she stormed over to them, threatening to go through Sasuke in the process. She began flailing as Haku grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Damnit! You've fucked up my life, brat! Here I was, worried about you, and you can't even say hello to me!? Fucker, you owe me a fight!"

Haku sweatdropped, "I don't know if she declared her feelings or a death threat..."

Suigetsu walked in behind them. Ironically, he had bandages over his face, similar to Isaribi. As he stepped in, he commented, "Knowing her, probably both."

"Naruto."

The person in question turned around, and watched as Itachi, Kakashi, and Yamato appeared in a burst of smoke. Naruto frowned as the Uchiha Hokage appeared, and the two entered a slight stare-down.

Suigetsu began tugging on his collar as he commented, "Man... Awkward..."

"...I see you've awoken, Naruto..."

"No thanks to you. Luckily, Granny Mito was there to save me."

Sasuke blinked and shook his head, "Who the hell is 'Granny Mito'? You don't have a grandmother."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too!"

Itachi interrupted before their tantrums got out of hand, "So, Mito Uzumaki appeared to you in the seal, huh? That's not what I was expecting. Regardless, I'm happy you were able to escape Izanami and Tsukuyomi."

"Iza-what?

Itachi shook his head, "Never mind that... Considering Naruto has awoken, we should tell Zabuza to hold off the assault for another day or two to let him recover."

Naruto blinked and asked, "Assault?"

Then the battle came back to him, and he remembered Tobi kidnapping Mei. He frowned and looked towards the ground.

"It's not your fault... Madara is a powerful warrior, especially if he's been alive for so long... I'm pretty sure the rebel leader knew that as she was fighting..."

Naruto growled and stomped his foot in anger, crying out, "...He was here for me...! I'm not gonna let her die because of me!"

Sora crouched next to him, placing his hand on his trembling shoulder.

"...She fought to keep you alive... She wouldn't want you to do something stupid and fight that man again... However, I've know you're going to run off anyway..."

As Sora spoke to the sobbing blonde, Yamato walked over Naruto, crossing his arms as he stood in front of him.

"...We're not gonna let you run off on your own again... This civil war has nothing to do with you, so we, nor the rest of Kiri, won't let you do this alone..."

Sasuke yelled out from the back, "Here, here! One for all, and all for one!"

Naruto grimaced at Sasuke, scrunching his face in disgust.

"Sasuke, don't say stupid shit like that..."

* * *

"Gimme another bowl!"

"On the house!"

Karin and Sakura sweat-dropped as Naruto was handed another bowl of ramen, and immediately began going to town on it.

"...Didn't we waste all of our money on this idiot during the survival exam because of ramen?"

Sora shrugged and commented, "Guy said on the house, so I guess it really doesn't matter."

Sasuke sighed from his corner of the stand, smacking his forehead as Naruto finished and went on to another bowl.

"...Naruto! Enough of this! We train, now!"

"...Fhhwatt!? Uho, fo awghay!"

Yakumo grimaced, holding her hand up to block the incoming noodles from Naruto's mouth. She screamed out, "Naruto! Manners! Swallow before talking!"

Naruto swallowed and repeated, "No! Go away! I'm eating right now!"

"Fuck your ramen!"

Sasuke jumped up and kicked the bowl right into Naruto's face, causing Sora and Yakumo to gasp. To the opposite of everybody's expectations, Naruto slurped the noodles from his face, licking around his lips as he finished.

"...I'm gonna be sick..."

"Hand me another bowl!"

The other Genin groaned and their heads collapsed onto the stand. At everyone's reaction, Naruto waved back the offered bowl and laughed, "Guys, I was just kidding! I'm done..."

Naruto stood up from his seat and clasped his hands behind head, walking away.

"H-Hey! Where are you going!?"

Naruto blinked and turned back to them.

"If the assault's been delayed, then I need to go train... I'm still trying to learn something..."

Readjusting his scroll, Naruto turned away from them, but ran directly into Itachi, who stood dressed in his clan's war robes.

Naruto frowned and asked, "...Yo...? What's up?"

"...I know what you're trying to learn... Zabuza gave me a little run-down of your abilities. I'm gonna be the one to help you."

"...How do yo-?"

Itachi continued, "Most summons have one... My crows don't, but I know enough about the others to allow you access it."

Back in the stand, Karin rubbed her head in confusion and asked, "Does anyone know what they're talking about?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Nope. He and Naruto are always this secretive when it comes to cool jutsu."

Sora smirked and tapped Sasuke with his elbows, slyly commenting, "...Someone sounds jealous, huh?"

"..."

Naruto continued to gaze skeptically at Itachi, who blankly stared back at him, waiting for his answer. After they locked gazes for a few moments, Naruto sighed in acceptance.

"...Alright... Show me what you know about Sage mode."

* * *

Trivia:

-The last scene with Mito was based from her conversation with Kushina.

-Naruto's upcoming Sage Mode is based on the powers of the Fox summons, so it doesn't access any power from the Kyubi. I don't plan on making him too powerful.


	16. Tides of War

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Two days later, Naruto, Sora, and Yakumo stood at the docks on the edge of the island, waiting for the others to appear. For a while, the three sat in awkward silence, before Yakumo broke it.

"...I...I know why you left, Naruto... I know, and I understand it well... But..."

Naruto grunted and turned away, "Then don't worry about it... I'm going to finish what I promised, and then I'm coming back to Konoha... Don't worry about my decision to leave."

Yakumo frowned and continued, "But that's just it, Naruto... Do you really want to come back? Did... Were we not enough to keep you there?"

"...Enough to keep me at Konoha? What do you mean?"

Sora sighed, "What she means is... You just up and left after you failed... We wanted to help you, and try to convince Yamato-sensei to let you pass, but you didn't give us a chance to do anything. As teammates, regardless of your rank...or lack of it, we would have been there for you, but you simply left... Are we not your teammates?"

Naruto flinched away from Yakumo and Sora, as they both gave him a pointed stare.

"Yeah, you guys are my teammates and all... I mean... I wasn't really thinking... I just..."

Yakumo burst into tears and began pounding at him with her fists, screaming, "We know that, idiot! You never think, 'cause you just do! That's what got you in trouble in the first place!"

"Gaggh! Stop hitting me, damnit! It hurts!"

"I bet it does!"

Yamato interrupted, as he and the others finally arrived. Pushing Yakumo away, he commented, "Now, now... We can punish Naruto later... He's coming back, and that's all that matters."

Itachi nodded, "Yes. But enough of this. Sasuke, get the map."

His little brother nodded, reaching over his back for the gigantic scroll that was placed there. Itachi motioned for the group to follow him onto the boat, and directed them all to the war room.

"Hey, where's Zabuza and the others?"

Itachi looked to Naruto answered, "They're going on another ship. Now everyone, let me direct your attention to this map of Kirigakure."

All of the surrounding shinobi leaned over and glanced down at it, where Itachi had many different places marked off.

"...These are the different points of interest... Most of the force will be infiltrating through those marks... Callsigns 'Triple S' will be attacking..," Itachi stated as he pointed to a mark on the map,"...on that Theatre of Operation.

"...Who the fuck is 'Triple S'?

"Sora, Sasuke, and Sai."

Naruto snickered, "What's that, your boy band name?"

Sasuke and Sora both scowled and punched Naruto on in his shoulders, causing him to wince.

"Enough. No fighting in the war room. Now, Karin and Sakura will be on standby for support, staying in contact with the medical division. Yakumo, you're going with Kakashi and Yamato."

As Naruto heard everyone's name being called off, he began wondering when he was going to be called, and as Itachi and the room looked to him, he sighed.

"...I'm going with Itachi, huh?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Yes."

"Then get over it. I'm going straight for Yagura and Madara, as only my Mangekyo Sharingan stands a chance against them. And you might be able to find Mei, thanks to your new power."

While Sasuke raised an eyebrow when Itachi briefly mumbled under his breath, "Thanks, mother...", Naruto frowned at Madara's name, and a fierce determination rose in eyes.

_'...You're dead once I get my hands on you.'_

"We make way to Kiri, and the battle starts as soon as the first jutsu touches this boat."

* * *

"Kirigakure no Jutsu."

Ameyuri raised an eyebrow and commented, "You know that shit won't work, right, Zabuza? They probably eat mist twice a day."

Zabuza grunted and crossed his arms, "That's the point... I want them to know we're here... There is no element of surprise."

On the other end of the small row boat, Mangetsu sighed, and Haku tilted his head at him.

"Are you worried about Suigetsu? Or Isaribi...?"

Mangetsu frowned and shook his head, replying, "Nah... They can handle themselves..."

"Then what's troubling you? You seem pretty upset."

Mangestu sighed again before finally speaking, "...It feels weird... Three of the ninja on the rebellion are former members of the Seven Swordsmen... Kisame, Jinin, and Jinpachi... It's gonna be fun, fighting them, but it feels weird killing off my former mates, you know?"

"...Not really... Zabuza killed Kushimaru for me, and gave me Nuibari, so I can't really say I know what that feels like..."

Mangetsu sweat-dropped, "That was a rhetorical question."

Ameyuri frowned as she overhead the two and turned around to Mangetsu. The teen male's eyes widened in fear as Ameyuri growled and pointed at him, "Man the fuck up! No retreat! They're traitors and they deserve to die!"

Haku scratched as his cheek and commented, "Technically, we're the traitors."

"Shut up! No one asked your sissy ass!"

* * *

"He's coming."

Kisame looked over to Tobi as he swung Samehada over his shoulder.

"That brat, huh? You seem too happy about this... That's a little creepy, for a man as old as yourself to be so interest in a boy barely pushing double digits."

"Shut up."

Kisame chuckled and twisted on his heel to face the masked man fully.

"...So... It seems it's finally started, huh...? When do we move out...?"

Tobi stood from the Mizukage's desk and motioned for Kisame to follow.

"...Now."

* * *

"Suiton! Bakusui Shoha!"

As the waves caused the boat to flip in the air, Itachi yelled out, "Everyone! Move! To your operations!

The others nodded, and Yamato grabbed Yakumo as they all disappeared from the ship as it crashed back onto the wave.

"...You didn't tell them to move because of the jutsu, did you?"

Itachi frowned and looked over to Naruto, "I know you feel him, too, Naruto."

As they both locked gazes, they breathe in deeply, as the masked man stood on the ceiling of the war room, his feet planted firmly as he looked directly to Naruto.

"...Back for more, huh? And I see you brought some friends..."

Naruto growled and moved to punch him, though it phased through him. Before Tobi could turn and grab Naruto, Itachi moved in front of him and grabbed his arm, and his Mangekyo Sharingan flared to life.

Tobi's eyes visibly darkened, and he commented, "So you used Shisui's eye to create an imperfect Eternal Mangekyo, huh? I guess you now hold my interest, Itachi... I want that eye."

"Amaterasu!"

Tobi quickly disappeared, flashing through the glass windows of the boat as the black flames traveled through them, right on the masked figure's trail. Tobi landed on the crashing waves, and looked down at Naruto when he appeared underneath the water.

"I see you, brat."

He lifted up his foot and stomped him, watching as it burst into smoke. He frowned as he felt the boy behind him.

"Kisame."

As Naruto's hand moved closer to the Uchiha, his face molded into one of pain, as he felt something grind through his sides, nearly slicing to his ribs, and was sent flying away. Rolling to his feet and holding his side, he glared up to the blue-skinned, shark-faced who grinned down at him feral-like.

"Oho... So you're the one causing the Mizukage so much trouble? Hope you put up a good fight, considering he's talked about you so much..."

On the other end of the large body of water, Itachi moved away as he ducked beneath the incoming fireball. He returned fire, screaming, "Katon! Goenkyu!"

The large fireball split the waves apart as it soared towards Tobi. Itachi frowned, as the form of 'Madara' was visible through the smoke and flames.

"Oh... That's a pretty nice technique, _Lord _Hokage... All of those techniques are good and all, but you and I both know your Mangekyo is going be the deciding factor..."

Itachi frowned as the masked man's eye swirled around, becoming the Mangekyo.

"Can you defeat mine?"

* * *

Mangetsu swung Hiramekarei, clashing with Jinin's Kabutowari.

"...How honorable, Mangetsu... Fighting me alongside your friend?"

Jinin Akebino of the Seven Swordsmen dodged back as Haku's needle longsword pierced the ground right in front of him. The feminine shinobi flashed next to his weapon and picked it up, and he and Mangetsu dived back in for another blade collision with Jinin. Mangetsu quickly reared back and went through rapid hand-signs.

"Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

The large man jumped back from the water dragon, though it continued its pursuit. Jinin aimed his axe to the ground and slammed the hammer end on the backside of it, creating a large shockwave to protect him. The water dragon diminished in the air, but the remnant water hardened itself, becoming large needles.

"...Sensatsu Suisho!"

Jinin grunted as the water needles came flying down at him.

"That weak shit won't work on me, apprentice of Zabuza!"

* * *

"Jinpachi is extremely dangerous... Make sure you watch out for his Shibuki... I don't wa-"

"Chidori!"

Ameyuri's eye began twitching as the dark-haired boy took off towards the other swordsman, Jinpachi Munashi. His charged hand nearly made contact with the man's blade, however, an extended chakra arm from Sora grabbed him and pulled him back. Sasuke's eyes widened when Shibuki went off like fireworks, completely detonating the area.

"...Oh shit..."

Ameyuri growled and pushed the boy away.

"Look! I don't that blonde's friend dying on me! You two! Take him away and go fight some grunts or something! You're in my way!"

Jinpachi smirked as she ordered the Genin away, and they took off immediately. He leaned on his blade and commented, "You've always been that way, Ameyuri... Trying to handle things on your own is gonna get 'cha killed messin' 'round with me..."

Ameyuri grinned as she held her two blades up. She clanged them together, and began cackling madly as the sparks went off.

"Man! Killin' you is gonna be a blast! This party's gonna get crazy!"

Jinpachi's expression moved to a frown at the woman's scary personality, "Psycho bitch."

* * *

Tobi narrowed as eye as he faded through Itachi, glaring as the Hokage burst into crows.

"It seems Shisui's eye gave you great Genjutsu capabilities... Even more than what you already possess."

The crows formed back into one body directly in front of Tobi, and Itachi stared blankly at the man.

"...And you haven't even used your full power yet, have you Itachi? You have the Amaterasu in your right eye, and maybe a thousand Genjutsu in your left, including Tsukuyomi... I know you have Susanoo, though you're not using it..."

Itachi said nothing, and Tobi looked to the Uchiha's fingers, which contained the hints of shuriken.

"...Is it that you aren't taking me seriously? That you believe you can defeat me, and save Susanoo for the Sanbi? That I'm going to simply... keel over, and let you walk by?"

Tobi watched as the shuriken faded through him, and he turned around as Itachi appeared behind him.

"...You see, Yagura is dead."

The statement was apparently enough to through Itachi off guard, and Tobi grabbed Itachi, his Mangekyo Sharingan created a vortex and began absorbing Itachi in.

"The Three-Tails is under my control...and your student is fighting him right now... Now sleep, knowing that you failed."

Itachi grimaced as he let himself become absorbed into the darkened eye, and Tobi frowned as the area fell into silence.

"...That was too easy... Itachi, what do you have up your sleeve?"

* * *

Itachi landed onto one of the many pillars of the Kamui dimension, and closed his eyes as he sighed.

"I figured you would be here."

He looked up to the battered form of the female in front of him. She sat groaned as she struggled to stand up, and Itachi moved over to help her up.

"...You... Who are you...? Wait... I know you..."

"...Itachi Uchiha, Godaime Hokage... Zabuza sent for me for the rescue mission. You must be Mei Terumi."

Mei nodded as she stood to her feet and dusted herself off. She sighed, dryly commenting, "Guess you ended up here, too..."

"I let him do that on purpose. I didn't think you would've been tied up in a dungeon somewhere."

The female dryly chuckled, and struggled to hold herself up, though Itachi eventually let her lean against her shoulder.

"You don't appear to be able to fight."

Mei laughed again, "Don't look down on because I'm a woman... I still have a few jutsu left in me..."

"Good... I came here to save you because I needed you... You and I together should be enough for him."

Mei smiled, though she still looked at him skeptically. She looked all around the dimension before asking, "How are you going to get us out?"

Itachi looked to the vast, empty space of the dimension's ceiling and closed his eyes.

"...Lord Hokage?"

_Self-Sacrifice... A nameless shinobi who protects peace within its shadow... That is a true shinobi..._

"...I have a friend."

* * *

Naruto ducked under Kisame's first swing, and jumped over his second. As he lifted from the waters, his foot lashed out to strike at Kisame's head, and the shark shinobi lifted his arm up to block.

"Oho, you got some moves..."

"And I gotta lot more!"

Kisame's face morphed into confusion when the child pointed his finger at him, as if he were going to 'shoot' him.

"Kitsune-ryu! Hoshi no Tama!"

Kisame grimaced and ducked beneath the chakra bullet, though he was knocked away. He looked over at his tinged shoulder, and rolled it around to ease the pain of his shoulder.

"Whoa, I didn't see that one coming... Fox Style, huh?"

Naruto grinned and settled himself into a stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"...Decided to make some names for my new moves... You're the first person I get to try it out own."

Kisame laughed and slammed his blade onto the water, "Don't I feel special? Show me another one! I wanna see 'em all before I gotta take you in!"

"Kirigakure no Jutsu."

Kisame frowned as the familiar technique made its appearance known by surrounding him in mist.

"Tch... Zabuza, you know I can fight through this..."

Naruto turned his head as Zabuza appeared behind him, his Kubikiri Bocho rested on his shoulder.

"Zabuza? What are you doing here!?"

"...I've been looking for this freak this entire battle... The traitor member of the Seven Swordsmen, Kisame Hoshigaki."

The shark man grinned, holding his hands up as he laughed, "Ya got me, Zabuza... It's funny, 'cause I've been looking for you, too..."

"Sorry to steal this fight from ya, Naruto, but as a former teammate of this trash, I gotta fry this fish stick."

Naruto grumbled to himself, but turned away and sat on the waves, crossing his legs and holding his cheek with his hands. Before the two swordsmen could make a move, a large explosion of chakra nearly knocked the three underneath the waves.

In the far off distance, a towering, dark form appeared, and Naruto rolled over as the waves tossed him around.

"What the fuck is that!?"

* * *

Tobi's eyes went wide, and he felt a searing pain in his right eye.

"Gaaggghh!"

He screamed and held his eye, and his hand suddenly began bleeding as something pierced through it.

"The hell!?"

Opening his eyes and releasing his Kamui, a large explosion of dark chakra appeared, and he felt the weight of the world lift from his body.

"What... What the...?"

He stood up, struggling to hold his gaze ahead as he felt the blood pooling from his eye. As his blur cleared, he gazed into the eyes of darkened figure, covered in black, crow-like armor with a large, scythe-like blade held over its shoulder. It's head contained a crow's beak, with chakra-like feathers covering its head like a hood. Tobi glared ahead to Itachi and Mei, who stood in the center of the overpowering figure.

"Be careful about what you wish for, Madara."

* * *

Trivia

-Decided not to waste a chapter on Naruto learning the Fox Sage Mode, so skipped ahead. As a result, his is an imperfect Sage Mode, like Jiraiya's.

-When Tobi refers to Imperfect Eternal Mangekyo, he's referring to the fact that he has the mixed eyes, like Madara's and Sasuke's, but does not have the full powers of both Shisui's eyes.

-Itachi's Eternal Mangekyo Susanoo is based on his own crow summons, but has a connection to Shisui. The syllable 'Shi' in Shisui's name is 'Death' in Japanese, so the figure combines a crow's aspect of death with the classic Grim Reaper(Shinigami) style.

-The reason it doesn't have the Yata no Kagami and Totsuka Blade is because Itachi's been in Konoha most of the time, so he's never equipped his Susanoo with them.

-There's another reason that Itachi's Susanoo is black instead of red/orange.


	17. Ignite Despair

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

The long-lost Uchiha panted as the darkened form shifted its scythe over his shoulder, as if waiting for the man's next move. He grunted and stood to his feet, attempting to relieve the searing pain in his right eye. The younger Uchiha in front of him continued to gaze blankly at him, and Tobi would have chuckled at Mei Terumi's glare if he wasn't in so much pain.

"...How...? You scarred my eye through my Kamui...by just using Susanoo?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes as Tobi stumbled to keep his balance, though he finally replied with, "Shisui's eye. I used Tsukuyomi to counter your Mangekyo Sharingan from the inside... As your Sharingan dimension surrounded us, you didn't have a choice except for succumbing to Tsukuyomi."

Tobi grunted in acknowledgment, finally holding himself in place as he glared at the two Kage.

"I see. I shouldn't have belittled and underestimated you... Since that night, you've surely trained to find ways to destroy me... the next time we made contact."

Itachi frowned and snarled, "I didn't plan on making contact with you so soon... It was only until you manipulated Naruto's recent actions that I knew we would meet too soon, and accommodated for it."

The masked man shrugged as his Mangekyo Sharigan flared back to life, and he sighed, "No matter... I really have other things to do, but I can spare a little time to play."

As he spoke, he felt the steam rising from beneath the waters and leaped to the air to dodge Mei's boiling water. As he gazed at the two Kage from the air, he soon found himself staring directly into the eyes of the black giant.

"Kamaitachi no Yoru!"

The towering fiend held out its glowing scythe, and swung to slice the masked Akatsuki clean in half. Tobi scoffed, "...Hmph. Not a chance."

The scythe faded through his body, and a cold feeling drifted through his body as it swiped through him.

_'For some reason... that felt off...'_

He ignored the feeling and flipped over to dive towards Itachi. Mei, who stood off slightly to the side, quickly moved through handsigns and prepared to slam her hands to the water, though Itachi held her off with an open hand.

"...It's alright."

Tobi frowned in response, and before he realized it, he was struck twice in the chest by some unknown wind. He fell towards the the water, rolling to a crouching stance as gazed down at his bleeding chest.

"...Extra attacks to ensure you hit your mark, huh?"

"...No... I've studied your technique... You can use that for up to five minutes, by which you eventually become tangible. The initial strike was to confirm that you only had a few seconds... The finishing blows were just that."

_'This goddamned kid... No wonder he's a Kage... He's far too knowledgeable for someone of his age... But I thought... I could activate it again! Did Itachi...!?'_

Mei gasped as Itachi finished speaking, "You figured that out in a matter of minutes?"

"...Since the boat was attacked by Kisame, we've only wasted seventeen minutes. He physically grabbed me and used his technique to bring me to you. I brought you out in five minutes. He's been conversing and taunting to save time for his next usage. What he didn't know was that the reason he miscounted his own time because I placed his eye under a Genjutsu."

Mei frowned and asked, "When did you-!?"

"...The Susanoo."

Itachi and Mei looked to Tobi as he stood up, watching as white goo repaired the wounds on his form. He continued when he held their attention, "I paid little attention to it, but that Susanoo has the armor of your crows... Genjutsu armor covering... I thought something was off when that scythe swiped clean through me..."

"Man, you Uchiha folk are so interesting... By killing your friends, you all gain this much power?"

Both Itachi and Tobi sweat-dropped as the soon-to-be Mizukage began rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"...You have an odd taste in what is interesting, Lady Mei."

"Enough of this! I don't have time!"

The wild chakra of Tobi began overflowing in waves, and Itachi and Mei felt the killing intent strongly, even with their distance. Even the Susanoo began buckling under the pressure. Mei screamed out, "He's pissed!"

"...I've... never felt killing intent like this!"

Tobi began performing quick seals, and aimed his mask towards the sky, screaming, "Nenshoton! Hoka Genryujin!"

Itachi narrowed his eyes as the explosive heat completely evaporated most of the water around them.

"...Combustion release? I've never heard of that..."

"...Is this an Uchiha technique!?"

The manifesting flames twisted, and Tobi raised his hand, manipulating them into the shape of a large, slender dragon that wrapped around his form. A pair of wings unformed from the dragon's back, strechting over twice the size of Itachi's Susanoo. The large head of the dragon rested slightly above the masked man, with its burning mustache wavering over him.

"...No... You see, I only have my right eye available, as my left eye was lost over the years... My... 'good friend'... took it as a gift... Without that eye, my Susanoo will never take shape. Therefore, I had to compensate..."

"Suiton! Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

Mei clasped her hands together as she attempted to use the remnant, steaming waters to forge a dragon. As the attack rushed towards Tobi, it simply evaporated before coming near him. Itachi skeptically turned to Mei, and she shrugged.

"I kinda knew that was gonna happen... Just wanted to see for myself... It seems that technique really is on the level of Amaterasu..."

Tobi held his arms out as if he were a messiah, and continued from where he left off, "...The components to life are such precious things, you know... My 'good friend' was capable of such manipulation, able to craft trees and life with little effort... During our battle, I received some of his DNA... His cells."

Itachi gritted his teeth as he listened, the sweltering heat baking him where he stood. Mei frowned and asked, "Madara Uchiha was friends with Hashirama Senju, wasn't he? The first Hokage...," and Itachi's eyes widened as he realized the goal of the masked megalomaniac.

"You...!?"

"You see, with the power to give things life...with oxygen, I enhance my flames, causing them to burn as intently as Amaterasu... This jutsu release, made with the powers of Madara Uchiha and Hashrama Senju, is the hint of divine power...! Power that only the Sage of the Six Paths can comprehend...!"

* * *

Kubikiri Bocho and Samehada clanged again as the two swordsmen gave everything they had into their strikes. As they recoiled away from each other, they both began flying through the same seals at once.

"Suiton!"

"Suiton!"

Both of the Kiri swordsmen yelled out, "Daibakufu no Jutsu!"

The water rose up behind them, preparing to overpower the other. As a result, Naruto, who began shifting rapidly with the waves, screamed in protest, "If you're not gonna let me fight, don't include me as an outsider!"

"Shut up!"

Naruto groaned and stood to his feet, preparing to move away when he felt the water beneath him disappear. He yelped as he fell and crashed into the bottom of the coastline. Zabuza looked around surprised as the water slowly evaporated, and the heat threatened to suffocate him.

"...What...? What is this...?"

Far off from Naruto and Zabuza, Kisame stared into the distance as the large flame monster appeared from nowhere, eventually molding into the shape of a dragon.

"...Ahhh... He's goin' all out, huh? Now he's getting me all fired up... And it's actually pissing me off, as he's preventing me from using my Suiton jutsu."

Kisame suddenly grinned and said, "Looks like I'll have to make my own water, then," and Naruto and Zabuza tensed up as an unknown chakra signature made an appearance. A voice resonated through the clearing,_"No! Leave me! You two, leave!"_

Kisame growled and aimed his sword at his own gut, "Stop bitchin'!

Naruto frowned as the deep voice sounded through the area, and Zabuza growled in confusion, "You heard that too, Naruto?"

"Yeah! What in the hell is he doin', though!?"

_"Run! His sword... It absorbs chakra, and its preparing to enslave mine! You're no match for my power... the power of the Sanbi!"_

Naruto and Zabuza both gasped, "I thought your Kage was the Jinchuriki of the Sanbi!?"

"...Did he kill him and release the Three-Tails!? He replaced Yagura as it's Jinchuriki!?"

Kisame began chuckling as he stabbed himself in the stomach with Samehada, and the seal on his stomach appeared in a white glow. The blade was absorbed inside of it, and he dropped down on all fours as red chakra surrounded his form. Three large, red tails appeared from beneath the chakra-mold shell on his back. Kisame's beady, black pupils became red, and darkened rings encircled his eyes.

"Shit! He's activating it! The Biju cloak!"

Zabuza sat surprised as the monster suddenly appeared in front of him, smacking him away with a swing of his tail. Naruto quickly dropped into a stance when the crooked visage of Kisame turned to him.

"Use it..! That Nine-Tails Chakra...! Show me all of your moves!"

"Shit, he's closing in-!"

Naruto's breath was immediately lost as Kisame's fist embedded itself into his gut, punching a large hole through his stomach and blasting him to the other side of the clearing. Kisame quickly reacted as Zabuza appeared behind him, dodging underneath the wide swing of his blade. He quickly dove back up, spearing Zabuza and slamming him onto the sandy coastline. Jolts of pain raced through Zabuza's back as he cried out, "Gaaaggh!"

"Haha! Stay here, Zabuza, and die on this beach! I'm not interested in you!"

Zabuza watched as the newly-made Jinchuriki turned away from him, where he felt the burst of demonic chakra from his side of the clearing. Kisame snickered, "Thatta boy...," and took off after the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Far on the other side, Naruto watched as the red chakra quickly ran over his stomach, repairing the recently created hole.

_"...You will not lose to the Three-Tails, munchkin... I swear if you lose to such a lesser being, you'll be forced to commit ritual suicide by the time I'm done with you."_

Naruto grinned as Kurama spoke to him again, considering he hadn't spoke to him since the incident with Mito in the seal.

"...Awww... You care about me... My 'furry little problem' actually cares...!"

Naruto's grin widened as the grumbling fox made its hatred known,_ "Suffocate under your own pillow, flesh bag."_

Naruto stood to his feet and frowned, staring towards the blazing dragon in the sky.

"Shit... That man has that? I don't have the fucking time for this fish stick." he grounded out, as he felt the Biju chakra heading right towards him. He unzipped the front of his shirt, where a small seal was placed on his chest. He rubbed his bloody hand on it, calling out his summon. A small, white fox appeared in a burst of smoke, and he created a clone next to it.

"Yip! What do you need, master?"

"...I'm gonna have to use it."

The fox's narrowed eye slits opened wide at Naruto's declaration. It panicked and shook it's small canine head in denial, "You know it's incomplete! That won't be enough to combat the monster chakra heading this way!"

"I don't have the time for a lecture! I order you to do it!"

"Then allow me."

The small fox and Naruto turned around, where the Fox Goddess Inari stood behind him in her long, white-and-gold robes. The small fox scuttled over to her in protest, "Mistress! This guy, he's trying to use Senjutsu! He can't, not at his level!"

"...Would you rather him die, and the Uzumaki clan lost to us forever? Would you rather watch as his friends die to that large monster?"

As the goddess spoke, Naruto quickly issued a protest, "Itachi isn't my friend!"

Ignoring him, Inari continued, "You can go back to the shrine if you want. I'll stay here and gather the natural energy for him... If his form is still incomplete, my power will stand a better chance for him."

Naruto's face darkened as the chakra neared him.

"Are you sure, Inari? It seems we don't have much time left..."

The Fox Goddess smirked and clapped her hands together. Naruto felt something attach to his left right shoulder, and glanced over to see.

On his left shoulder, a silver, fox-shaped pauldron rested there, wrapped with white straps. The vulpine eyes glowed, and Naruto heard the voice of Inari resonate from it.

_"...I'll stay here and help your clone gather the natural energy! Now, get ready!"_

Naruto's eyes twitched as he turned to the meditating woman behind him, and he sweat-dropped and asked, "Why didn't you just say that out-loud?"

When he realized she wasn't answering, he sighed and turned back to Kisame's chakra signature. Suddenly, he tensed up and twisted back around, glaring angrily at the woman and growling, "What the hell are you doing!?

_"What?"_

Behind him, the Naruto clone rested comfortably in the lap of the still Inari, and Naruto grimaced at the child-like scene.

"Get me off your lap! I'm not a kid, damnit!"

_"We need contact for me to gather Natural Energy for you... Just relax like your clone..."_

Naruto pointed at her as he accused, "You perverted old hag! Take me off your lap!"

_"Stop complaining...! I'm almost done!"_

"What are you doin'!? Stop standing there, Nine-Tails!"

Naruto's eyes became frightened as the large man appeared behind him, foot raised in preparation for an attack. Before the kick could connect, both the clone and Inari's eyes snapped open, pure-white in appearance, and disappeared in a burst of smoke. As a result, Naruto's eyes flashed white, and Kisame grimaced as he felt the pain of one who kicked a brick wall.

"What is this...!?"

The white chakra encased Naruto's figure before slowly fading away from his form. His white hair was revealed underneath the chakra, and two vulpine ears appeared from his head. A fur pelt covered most of his form, excluding the left side of his chest and his left arm. The pelt led to a knee-length robe, and a long, white tail was formed from underneath it. His slitted, white eyes narrowed as his wrist caught Kisame's kicked before it neared him.

"...Kitsune Sage Mode... Kitsune-ryu, Kitsune-ken."

* * *

"Nenshoton! Yoen Goubatsu!"

Itachi and Mei split off in different directions as the line of flames separated the two. The line of fire suddenly shifted, and Itachi found himself at odds when the flames turned in his direction.

"You won't escape, Itachi!"

Itachi's right eye dilated, and eventually began bleeding as he used his most powerful Ninjutsu in aresenal.

"Amaterasu!"

The black flames and the scorching pale flames collided into one gigantic explosion, throwing Itachi back. The Susanoo's crow armor long broke under the relentless assaults of Tobi's combustion release and the heat melted its skin, reverting it back to a skeleton. Itachi cursed as his defenses were broken, and he was lost upon how to counter it.

"Amaterasu does the trick... But if I use it too much, I might as well knock myself out and hand Naruto over... And that dragon... It's just sitting there, casting his jutsu and protecting him from our attacks... I wonder..."

Itachi closed his left eye, allowing his sore, right eye to lock on to the dragon's head. He grunted in pain, though he finally whispered, "Amaterasu..."

The ignited dragon roared as the black flames surrounded its head, and Itachi smirked victoriously, believing the dragon had been hit. However, Tobi tilted his head and stared at Itachi, and the Hokage had the feeling that he achieved nothing.

Tobi chuckled, "You've achieved nothing, _Hokage_," causing Itachi to sweat-drop. The masked man continued, "These flames are hot, even for me... That's what Kamui's for..."

Itachi frowned as Tobi sauntered forward, watching as all of the Mizukage's jutsu melted the instant they touched his combustion dragon.

_'Why would he tell me that...? Is he that certain of victory? Is this some kind of trap?'_

"What do you gain from telling me that?"

Tobi stopped a few feet from Itachi, enough to keep the flames from melting him alive.

"...I'm bored... I'm waiting on your next move, Itachi... Don't tell me you're on your last leg?"

Itachi struggled to think of a countering as the man began walking once more. He stopped, though, and looked over his shoulder. The Mizukage gasped as a piercing wail sounded through the distance.

"This Chakra...! I've not felt this in ages...! Not since-!"

"...Kisame... It seems you've gotten a bit hasty..."

* * *

Trivia:

-Itachi's crow summon armor was derived from Madara covering the Nine-Tails with Susanoo. As such, it enhances his Genjusu abilities to extend with Susanoo.

-Neshoton (Combustion or Burning Release) is a combination of Fire Release and Yang Release. As Yang Release uses life-giving properties (as a result of Senju DNA), it uses oxygen to continue feeding Tobi's Fire Jutsu, making the technique more powerful than other flame jutsu (Only weaker than Amaterasu). This is his replacement for his lack of Amaterasu. He is also able to control the flames like Blaze Release by using Kamui.

-My theory about Tobi, and what he refers to when he use Neshoton Jutsu, is that he lacks Amaterasu because he doesn't have his left eye, and thus, no Susanoo either.

Continuing from that, he is able to use Tsukuyomi, as he uses it in Road to Ninja movie. Also take into consideration that he planned to start the war and Project Tsuki no Me before Kabuto came into the picture (Due to Nagato's betrayal, he didn't have another method of bringing Madara back, so he was going to do the Infinite Tsukuyomi by himself), he should have the potential to use Tsukuyomi.

This would mean if he has Tsukuyomi in his right Kamui eye, then his left eye, which is used for long distance targeting of Kamui, is his Amaterasu eye. That would mean if he had both, he would be capable of Susanoo (And probably one of the most overpowered Uchiha with Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Kamui... No wonder Kishimoto gave his eye to Kakashi)

-Kisame's V1 Biju Cloak punch against Naruto was based off Killer Bee doing the same to Sasuke.

-Due to the fact that Naruto's Sage Mode is incomplete, he needs the clone and a Kitsune summon to gather it for him (Since he's too fidgety to sit still by himself).

-The design of Naruto's Sage Mode is followed:

The fur pelt robe is designed from the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow version of Simon Belmont.

Long, white tail and furry ears.

White pupils with fox slits and deeper whisker marks.

-The white fur is due to Inari (Goddess/God of Kitsune in Japanese Mythology) Messenger foxes are white.


	18. Give 'em Hell

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Jinin Akebino grunted as the searing pain of Haku's stitching blade caused him to stumble backwards as the boy and Mangetsu went on the offense. Mangetsu had shifted Hiramekarei's form to a large naginata and repeatedly slammed it on Jinin's hammer, attempting to break through his guard.

"You won't defeat me like this!"

The large man roared as he gripped the hammer end of Kabutowari and threw it like a ball-and-chain. Mangetsu's eyes widened as the hammer slammed into him, knocking him far away from Jinin.

Haku dodged the body as it flew past him, and he twisted his head as his fellow swordsman crashed into the ground. He silently panicked as he waited for him to move.

"Mangetsu!"

The boy's legs began unconsciously speeding towards his fallen teammate, though he stopped as a large shadow encased his form.

"Don't turn your back on me!"

True to its name, Kabutowari came down heavily upon Haku's skull, and Jinin relished the horrific cracking noises as the edge dug deeper into the boy's head. However, instead of blood, the skull produced a fountain of water that splashed his face.

"Huh?"

Eventually, the boy's skin began turning paler than usual, and his form became a frozen statue as his axe finally broke it in half. Before the swordsman could react, another voice whispered in his ear, and he grimaced as a dagger was placed directly under his neck. Behind him, Mangetsu held a bag of ice on his forehead, courtesy of the feminine boy behind him.

"...You know... I didn't appreciate that hammer, asshole."

The larger man grunted as he moved to strike Mangetsu with his loose elbow, which the boy sunk into the grass to dodge. As Jinin grabbed his hammer to strike the ground, Haku dashed towards with Nuibari, catching the hammer with the side of his blade.

As Haku struggled to push back the overwhelming strength of the man, Jinin laughed as he watched the small crack's appear in the tiny blade.

"That puny blade can't hold back shit!"

He pulled back for another slam, and before he could, water began pooling up under his feet. Before he was fully encased in it, he heard a voice whisper, "Suiro no Jutsu."

Mangetsu reached into his robes and retrieved a plastic cup of water, slipping his silly straw into it as he began to sip. Jinin features twisted into rage, and before he could move, the water was frozen over, and he was trapped in a crystal ball of ice.

"...Looks like we're done here."

As Mangetsu spoke, he noticed an explosion of lightning in the far off distance. Hearing a man's shriek of pain, he sighed, "Ameyuri must be finishing up as well..."

Haku sighed and fell back against a tree, slowly sliding to the ground. As his head leaned back into the tree, he spoke, "I wonder about Master Zabuza... He left to go after Kisame... The last one of the enemy Swordsmen."

"...Hm... He's probably fine... Kisame's not a pushover, but neither is Zabuza..."

Haku frowned and tilted his head as he inquired, "You don't sound too worried... What about that masked warrior? Madara Uchiha...?"

Mangetsu took another sip of water before answering, "We'll know when that bastard's back... As soon as Yagura or the Sanbi hit's the stage, he'll be there as well... We should rest unti-"

He was cut off as multiple large chakra signatures went off over the area, and then a third. The third, ironically, was the one he recognized. Haku's eyes shot up fearfully as he felt the pressure, and he panicked, "What the hell was that...!? I know you felt that!"

"Shit. Me and my big mouth... Haku, the Three-Tails has been released! Let's go!"

* * *

Kisame landed away from the newly-made fox sage, grunting as his numb leg struggled to hold him up. Across from him, Naruto had hunched slightly, his arms hanging limply as he bared his fangs to the other.

"So... You've finally resorted to the Nine-Tails power, huh? That's good..."

Naruto growled as he replied, "You're wrong, idiot! I'm gonna kick your ass with my power! The fox won't even be necessary!"

Naruto dashed towards the chakra-cloaked swordsman, his claws held out to strike. In response, Kisame folded his arms and legs closer to his body, rolling himself into a ball. Naruto felt the pain jolt through his arm as his claws made contact with the dense chakra, shaped like a turtle's carapace. However, Kisame himself was shocked as the blow cracked a large portion of his chakra shell.

_'Was that the power of that new technique? Another hit like that will completely shatter this protection!'_

Shaking his head, Kisame rapidly twisted and allowed his tail to smash into the boy's gut. Quickly recovering from the blow, Naruto landed near him and swung his own tail back at him, screaming, "Kitsune-ryu! Kitsunebi!"

Before the white tail made contact with Kisame, it was suddenly ignited in a searing flare, leaving behind a trail of fire as Kisame scuttled back from him. Clapping his hands together, the shark-man's cheeks expanded, and he released a torrent of water from his mouth, screaming, "Suiton! Goshokuzame!"

The water traveled towards Naruto, and he growled as shark fins appeared from the water. Rearing his fist back, he roared as he punched the ground, "Kitsune-ryu! Kitsune Ken!"

The water sharks were blasted away in a large explosive sound wave, and Kisame rolled into a protective ball as rocks and debris soared through the air, crashing into his chakra shell. An extremely large rock penetrated his defenses, and he felt the pressure of hundreds of rocks collapsing onto him. An enraged voice rattled Kisame's ears before the pain finally caused him to black out.

Naruto sat and waited for Kisame's next move. As he crouched down, his fox ears twitched as a voice spoke from behind him.

"...Well, I'd be damned..."

Naruto turned around and watched as Zabuza groggily rubbed his head and walked up to him. The younger shinobi held his hand out in a small greeting as Zabuza slapped it away.

"Constant vigilance. He's not down yet, so don't let your guard down... You're the only one capable of stopping another Jinchuriki, so I can't have you dying to a sneak attack."

Naruto nodded and turned back just into time to see an explosion of dark chakra beaming into the sky. As the rocks exploded, Naruto peeked through the dust and smoke as a crouched silhouette slowly crawled out of it. A dark mass of chakra in the shape of a turtle stopped a slight distance in front of them, and three tails slipped out from the back of its carapace. Its small,white eyes glared directly at Naruto, and it stretched its jaws wide, revealing multiple rows of shark teeth.

Naruto frowned and closed his eyes, sighing, "He lost control. He's nothing more than a mindless beast now."

Zabuza nodded and placed his hands in a seal. Curious, Zabuza looked over to him and asked, "You sound like you have experience with this type of thing..."

"...Don't wanna talk about it..."

Zabuza narrowed his eyes, but questioned no further. As they waited for the monster to make a move, the ground beneath them suddenly cracked, and the beast let out a wail towards the sky.

"...He lookin' for a mate or something?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he watched the black and white particles formed above the monster's head, merging into a sphere that the beast reached out and swallowed whole. His eye's widened as he realized what it was going to do and he screamed out, "Shit! Zabuza, run!"

Both of the shinobi took off in separate directions as the beast regurgitated the sphere, releasing it as a bomb that shot towards the forest clearing behind them.

* * *

Ameyuri hopped through the trees as she felt the explosive release of the Sanbi. Her eyes and mouth were set in grim determination as she increased her speed to try to reach Naruto's position.

_After an explosion of lightning, Jinpachi laid still on the dampened dew of the grassy clearing. He glanced over to his right and grimaced at the sight of his bloody bottom half. He sighed and centered his head, staring directly at Ameyuri standing above him._

_ "Cut me right down the center, huh, Ameyuri?"_

_ The girl stared back unamused, and not a sound came from her mouth as she resealed her blades. She kicked his hand away from his Shibuki and sealed it into a scroll before Jinpachi could grab it._

_ "...So you're takin' my blade, too...? Don't leave it with some idiot."_

_ Ameyuri gave no reply as she turned around on her heel._

_ "...You still mad at me? You think I'm a traitor, after you four left us?"_

_ The girl finally paused in her footsteps, but didn't turn to face him. He reached out to her and grabbed her ankle, holding her down as he continued, "...You all betrayed the Mizukage, an-"_

_ "No. You all betrayed him by letting that masked bastard take control... I lost two sensei... It took the death of one and the loss of control of the other before I became who I am today... Therefore, I thank you for giving me the potential to surpass you all, but I can never forgive you traitors for watching them suffer."_

_ ...As you teacher... And now, your Mizukage... I will forever wear these stitches you've given me, Ameyuri, as they've given me hope that a new generation can come along, and change things for the better..._

"...Hope, huh?"

As Ameyuri mused to herself, she awoke from her stupor as she managed to barely dodge a large, dark ball of chakra. Realizing what it was, she frowned and watched it fly behind her, destroying the entire mountain range in the distance. She sat in awe at its destructive capabilities, but opted to focus on her task at hand.

"Sorry, sensei, but I have to go clean up your damned mess..."

* * *

Naruto barely had time to recover from the Tailed Beast Bomb before Kisame was all over him. He almost lost track of him until he appeared behind him. In reaction, Naruto kicked him in the stomach before back-dashing to gather distance.

He held his hand out, watching as the Natural Energy warped itself into the shape of a pure-white chakra katana. He held it with both hands and waited for the beast to come closer before slashing down with great force.

"Kitsune-ryu! Kogitsune!"

The beast roared as the shell began cracking, though not fully. Kisame raged angrily and moved to the offensive immediately after receiving the hit. As Naruto was pushed to his limits by the overwhelming monster, he was saved by a large cleaver that flew by his head and came back like boomerang. The beast roared in pain as the Kubikiri Bocho was embedded into its carapace.

Zabuza appeared in front of Kisame, his hand glowing with blue chakra, and thrust his palm into the Jinchuriki.

"Suiton! Seiryusho!"

Naruto covered his face as the bright flash of blue light erupted in front of him, and finally peeked out from between his fingers as it cleared. Kisame rested on the ground, the chakra from the Sanbi long gone, as the Kubikiri Bocho rested in his right shoulder-blade. On his left side, Samehada rested on the ground.

"...Man... I hope he's down for good... This-"

Naruto was abruptly cut off as his fur suddenly faded from his body, and his eyes widened as he could no longer sense anything.

"I definitely hope he's gone now...! My Senjutsu just ran out...!"

Zabuza looked down at the dying swordsman before reaching over for his blade. As he gripped the handle, another hand gripped his ankle, and he stared down at the grinning man.

"...I see you aren't dead."

The fallen figure smirked as he pulled himself up, and Naruto quickly jumped into a stance as he stumbled on his feet.

"Heh... You're good, Nine-Tails...even though you had help, I'm impressed that you've managed to push me so far..."

"Kisame."

Both Zabuza and Naruto looked over the shark-faced man's shoulder as Tobi sat on the high rocks at the top of the lake. Kisame grinned as he turned back to the masked man.

"...Sorry, boss... You were right about this kid... He's good..."

Tobi gazed back to Kisame, though his emotions couldn't be discerned through the mask. Naruto frowned and quickly ran forward past the group. Tobi sat amused as the boy ran to him and yelled, "Why are you here!? I thought Itachi was taking care of you!?"

Even though they couldn't see, Zabuza had the distinct feeling that the man had raised an eyebrow in sick glee as he replied, "Oh, Itachi? He's back with the Mizukage Koho, Mei Terumi."

Zabuza's and Naruto's eyes both widened as he spoke, and a sickening feeling dropped in their gut.

"Where are they!? Damnit, where the hell are they!?"

Tobi's Mangekyo Sharingan swirled, returning to normal as he shrugged, "On the other side... They're probably..."

Tobi paused as he tilted his head, gazing off towards the distance before he finished darkly, "..._Not okay_..."

* * *

"Big Brother!"

Sasuke had rushed back to his brother as he felt the strong chakra from that direction. He arrived, and his eyes began tearing up when he looked over his brother's and the Mizukage Koho's form, both lying in a small pool of boiling blood. He barely heard the feminine voice call out, "...You..."

He turned over to Mei, who reached out to him. He grimaced as the bottom of her chin was covered in burn marks from the steaming blood, and his head snapped back between her and his brother.

"...Don't...worry for...us... He's still...alive...," Mei coughed out, vomiting out more blood as she continued to speak, "But... Madara... He's gone...after Naruto... Go...get Naruto..."

"No. You and Sai take these two back to the medical division."

Sasuke turned as Kakashi and Yamato entered the clearing, followed by Sai and Sora. Yamato leaned over to allow Yakumo to hop to the ground as Kakashi looked over the other side of the clearing.

"...Sora, keep an eye on Yakumo! All of you, get the Kage's back to the medical division ASAP!"

Kakashi nodded and added on, "Right. Yamato, we-"

The Jonin was cut off as a noise stopped him, and Sasuke's eyes lit up as Itachi began coughing out the blood blocking his lungs.

"Brother! You're alive!"

Itachi groaned as Sasuke's voice rattled his ears, and waved him off as he began speaking, "...Kisame... They sealed...the Sanbi in him... Madara's going to...released the full thing..."

* * *

"It seems your friends have caught on, Naruto... It's time to end this."

Tobi quickly shifted through time and space and appeared in front of Kisame, his Mangekyo Sharingan activated.

"...Kisame... You were loyal to Akatsuki, and your name shall never be forgotten... This will be your last mission from me..."

Kisame looked up to him and smirked, though it was a barren grin, full of emptiness. He sighed, "I knew it would be the end for me when you made me a Jinchuriki... That you would have to extract it from me one way or another... I've accepted it..."

"...Then are you ready...?"

Zabuza frowned, and Naruto interrupted, "Wait, ready for what!? What are yo-!?"

"Do it."

Tobi nodded and quickly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Reacting quickly, Naruto and Zabuza charged in to stop him. Naruto was suddenly kicked in his stomach and sent to the ground, and Zabuza was tossed over his shoulder. Phasing near Kisame, he wrapped him chains and glared at the seal on Kisame's stomach.

"Kuchiyose! Sanbi!"

Naruto looked up and panicked as heard the man, and jumped up to stop the extraction. Tobi watched in sick fascination as the head of the giant turtle appeared from the seal until he heard Naruto's footsteps incoming.

"I won't let you."

Moving quickly, Tobi backhanded Naruto and sent him away. He looked down at Samehada and picked it up, grimacing as the handle released spikes to keep Tobi from grabbing it, though he calmed it down with his Mangekyo.

"Tch... Disrespecting me, stupid sword."

With all of his force, he tossed the sword towards Naruto, whose back crashed into a particularly large rock. His eyes shot up fearfully as the blade came towards him, and he realized that he wouldn't be able to dodge out of way. He closed his eyes and waited, though it never came.

"...Stupid brat..."

Naruto fearfully peeked from a single eye, and gasped as Zabuza stood in front of him, his arms outstretched as he blocked the oversized sword. Naruto looked over his shoulder to see the large, bandaged Samehada embedded into his left shoulder.

"...What...? Wh...Why...?"

Zabuza's eyes began narrowing, and he struggled to keep them open, "Don't know...dumbass... Body moved...on it's own..."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he didn't know whether to yell or cry, and eventually settled for both.

"I didn't ask you to do this! You... I didn't ask you to-"

Zabuza growled and kneed Naruto in the chin as he collapsed onto the rock. As he began coughing, he looked over his shoulder to the masked man, gritting his teeth as the man tilted his head and stared at him and Naruto. A loud groan sounded as most of the Sanbi had been extracted.

"...This isn't about you... I did my part, and now it's for you to do yours..."

Naruto rubbed his jaw as he solemnly gazed back at Zabuza, who continued, "I didn't get to teach you as Mei ordered me to do..."

Naruto watched as he reached over for Kubikiri Bocho, and shook his head, "You're not gonna die, idiot! Keep your sword with you!"

"Shut up, kid..."

As Naruto quickly went silent, Zabuza continued, "In the world of shinobi, there are only those who use...and those whom are used. We shinobi are simply tools... You, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, would under stand such a thing better than anyone..."

_Deep inside of Naruto's mindscape, Kurama peeked from a single eye, his ear twitching as he over heard._

"But a shinobi is still a human... We may not be able to become emotionless tools... And that's what you aren't... I've seen it in your eyes when we kidnapped you... The hatred, the confusion... You're not a tool... So what I'm going to teach you, I want you to carry for life..."

"...Tea...Teach me...?"

Zabuza suddenly tripped on his own foot and was caught by Naruto as he held him up.

"...You're a demon, whether you want to accept it or not... When I was your age, my hands were soaked in blood... and yours are, too... You and me... we're not so different... Don't be ashamed of that fact, and be proud of it..."

Naruto stared blankly at the amused Tobi, who simply pointed over his shoulder to the gigantic, three-tailed turtle wailing to the sky. Zabuza's wrappings fell from his face as he leaned over to continue, "When you've hovered between life so many times that it doesn't faze you, you may be called a ninja... That's the definition of a demon, and that's what we shinobi are... Demons and humans..."

Naruto nodded as the Samehada began absorbing more and more of Zabuza's chakra, and the Jinchuriki felt the man's skin grow colder.

"...We live as demons, but we die as humans... From one demon to another, my last words to you..."

Naruto said nothing as Zabuza whispered in his ear before falling over, collapsing against the ground motionless. As Naruto watched the Tailed Beast was suddenly swarmed by hundred's of jutsu, Tobi called out to him, "You don't look so good, Naruto... What's the matter?"

Naruto made no move to reply as a voice echoed through his mind.

_"I can feel it, Naruto... Your hatred has once again awakened..."_

Naruto's eyes flared red, and Tobi grinned as he felt the incoming chakra of the Kyubi.

"You mad?"

_"...We'll destroy him together, Naruto... I'll help you kill him..."_

While Kurama continued to echo in his mind, Naruto ignored it as Zabuza's words continued to rattled his brain.

"...Can you fight, Naruto? Have you given up?"

_"Naruto! Let's welcome chaos!"_

Tobi grimaced and recoiled as the Nine-Tails' chakra expanded outwards, and Tobi glared as the image of the fox appeared, covering over Naruto like a demon shroud.

_In the world of shinobi, there are only those who use...and those whom are used. We shinobi are simply tools..._

_ When you've hovered between life so many times that it doesn't faze you, you may be called a ninja... That's the definition of a demon, and that's what we shinobi are... Demons and humans..._

Naruto stood there as Kurama's chakra overwhelmed him, but it ceased the usual burning sensation. For the first time... and probably the last... the Nine-Tails had finally decided to coöperate.

Tobi growled as he attempted to halt the Nine-Tail's power, but his eyes began burning instead. He grimaced as darkened blood dripped from his eyes, and it pained him as much as that Amaterasu years ago.

_'The hell is this!? Did Itachi set this up!? Is he preventing me from obtaining the Nine-Tails!?"_

* * *

In the hospital ward of Kirigakure, the Uchiha Hokage smirked as he leaned up, and his Mangekyo Sharingan flared for a second. He rolled his shoulder as Mei stared on in amusement.

"You seem happy about something, Lord Hokage... You think Naruto's alright?"

"Of course... I trained him, after all..."

* * *

Tobi cursed the wounded Hokage as he shut off his Mangekyo Sharingan.

_'Damn! I won't be able to use Kamui!'_

He continued to curse that man as he glared at Naruto, and the boy shouted out, "...Alright, Zabuza... If that's what you want, then let's do it... Kurama!"

_The Nine-Tailed fox growled in its cage as the red chakra seeping through the cage allowed the sewer's waters to boil._

_"Then, let's do this! In the words of that man..."_

_...We live as demons, but we die as humans... From one demon to another, my last words to you..._

At the same time, Naruto and Kurama grinned, yelling out, "_**Let's give 'em hell!**_"

* * *

Trivia

-Kisame started in the initial stage, though lost control when he went V2. That's why he was able to use the Tailed Beast Bomb.

-Ameyuri's first sensei was Raiga Kurosaki, the original character to have Kiba (In this story.) Yagura was her second.

-Many of Naruto's Sage Techniques are based on actual Kitsune phrases:

Kitsune Ken - Fox Fist - A game that is basically Rock, Paper, Scissors. As a jutsu, it is the Sage Mode equivalent of Zankuha and Zankukyoha.

Kitsunebi - Fox Fire - The ability for a fox to create fire with its mouth or tail. The jutsu is the same as the real meaning.

Kogitsune (Kogitsune-maru) - Little Fox - A legendary blade forged by a blacksmith named Munechika, and aided by Inari and her/his foxes. As a jutsu, it is the Sage Mode equivalent of the chakra sword.

Hoshi no Tama - Star Ball - A magical orb or jewel used by Kitsune to hold their powers. As a jutsu, it's Naruto's Sage Mode equivalent of his Chakra Bullet.

-Tobi drawing the Sanbi from its seal and letting it loose on the Kiri Ninja, along with Naruto's upcoming fight with him, is based on the Kyubi Attack.

-Zabuza's death, and Naruto's chakra gathering afterwards, was based on Sasuke's 'death' to Haku (Canon).

-Naruto's only in his initial Jinchuriki state. The shroud and fox head is the same as during the canon Haku fight, and is based from Zabuza's demon shroud chakra.

-Itachi placed the release on Naruto when they trained before the assault, in case Tobi tried to steal the Kyubi. His Sharingan abilities have been sealed off for the time being.


	19. Just Shy of the Mark

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Everyone! Hit the damned beast with all you got!"

A thousand water dragons soared through the sky, and the Sanbi's roared in annoyance as he was pelted from all directions. Ameyuri smacked herself on te head as she screamed out, "Not with water, you idiots! It's a goddamned turtle!"

As the shinobi began shouting out multiple other jutsu they knew, Yamato and Kakashi had landed on the tree tops. Yamato clapped his hands together to prepare for the Sanbi, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Kakashi glancing to a deserted area.

"Kakashi! Pay attention!"

"...That's Naruto over there."

Yamato frowned and narrowed his eyes as he gazed across the distance. Upon realization, he gaped at the fact that his student was facing 'Madara' in combat alone.

"...That bold-headed idiot... Kakashi, as much as I want to go over there, I'm needed here."

Kakashi watched as the Sanbi was encased in a wooden cage, courtesy of Yamato, and turned back to Naruto. He frowned as he pondered upon his next move.

* * *

Tobi grinded his teeth together as he held his pained eye, which had reverted back to a normal black. He growled, "Alright, you little brat. I'm tired of your nonsense."

_'I can't underestimate him... Without the Sharingan, I have to move faster than before to compensate for the lack of Kamui... and Nenshoton is practically useless without being able to change its direction and my dissipating chakra reserves... I'll have to hold him off until either my Sharingan is healed, or the Three-Tails is defeated...'_

Tobi lost his track of mind as Naruto's foot struck out towards his mask. Instincts kicking in, he grabbed his foot and tossed him over his shoulder. As Naruto landed on a rock, Tobi placed his hands in a tiger seal and shouted, "Katon, Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

Naruto swiftly dashed on the sides of the rock to get away from the fireball, and rebounded from the rocky wall, dashing quickly towards Tobi.

"Too easy," was what Tobi though, until his mask was broken by the force of Naruto's punch.

_'Goddamnit! I've gotten too used to Kamui!'_

Tobi was sent flying by the punch, and his mask completely shattered by the time he hit the ground, revealing his closed left eye and the ruined markings on the right side of his face. He slowly stood to his feet, completely enraged as he roared into the air. Naruto smirked at the man's reaction and dashed towards him.

"That's right! I'm gonna fuck you u-!"

Naruto's taunt was cut short as Tobi grabbed his face, instantly planting him into the ground. Naruto's breath hitched as his back crashed into the ground hard, and Tobi angrily stomped him further into the ground.

"I've had it up to here with you!"

As he continued to stomp Naruto into the ground, he didn't expect a voice to answer him back, "And I have it down here for you!"

Tobi watched in complete surprise as 'Naruto' burst into smoke. Before he realized it, a flying fist emerged from underneath the ground, and crashed directly into his chin, sending him flying in the air. Naruto watched as his fist sunk deeper into the man's chin, until he got the feeling of placing his hand over a stove.

"Gaagggghhhhh!"

Naruto pulled his hand back as 'Tobi' exploded into flames. As he retreated back, a voice whispered in his ear on the way down.

"Hoka Bunshin... I know how you fight, idiot."

Naruto flipped and moved to kick the man, but he disappeared at the last second and appeared behind him.

_'Even without that teleportation, he's still too fast!'_

"Omote Renge!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he was suddenly encased in chains, and felt himself being thrown to the hard gravel.

_'Crap! I'm done for!'_

However, the blow was softened by the random appearance of water, and his chains began to rattle and loosen as he was freed. As he head poked out of the water, he looked up to the wailing Biju, which had begun releasing water at a rapid rate, flooding the entire clearing.

"Damn... Never though I'd thank that Biju..."

However, he relaxed for too long, as a hand gripped the top of his head and pulled him under water, and Naruto struggled from the grasp of Tobi as he attempted to drown him.

_Deep within Naruto's mind, Kurama roared and thrashed at the walls of his cage. The roar was powerful, as the shockwave echoed _from Naruto's body in the real world, throwing Tobi away as he slid across the water. Naruto climbed out and stood on top of it, panting as he attempted to catch a break.

Across from him, the unmasked face of Tobi stared back at him with complete indifference, his long, dark, and spiky locks framing his face.

"...You ready to dance again?"

Standing up to the challenge, Naruto growled and answered back, "You bet! Get ready to dance your ass off!"

As the two stared to each other for a while longer, they instantly took off in a dash, running parallel to each other and throwing kunai and shuriken at the other. Naruto continued to run, but was jolted back as the strings attached to Tobi's tools were weaved back in by his hands. He stretched his hands outward and pulled them back, and the wires easily snagged Naruto in a trap.

_'How does he keep catching me like this!? Does he really know my fighting style like the back of his hand!?'_

"Sofushasan no Tachi... Windmill Triple Attack."

He clapped his hands into a tiger seal once more, and Naruto grimaced as Tobi screamed out, "Katon! Ryuka no Jutsu!"

A trail of fire let loose towards Naruto, and he watched as it trailed down the wire. Thinking quickly on his feet, he allowed the chakra on his feet to subside, dropping him into the water as the flames were extinguished. Gritting his teeth, he made a single hand-sign behind him as he waited.

"Pull me back out... Pull me back..."

As expected, Naruto felt the wires tug, pulling him back as they began cutting into his skin. Ignoring the pain, he called out his technique as soon as he hit the surface.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Tobi sat in shock as nearly a thousand clones filed out of the water, and the only things he saw were flying blonde munchkins everywhere. One of the clones cut loose Naruto's wire, and he grinned as he pointed to the man below.

"Get that son of a bitch!"

"Katon! Goka Mekkyaku!"

Tobi exhaled a large spume of flames, and majority of the clones were destroyed by the explosive fire technique. He narrowed his eyes as the flames encased Naruto, and felt the explosion of chakra from within the heated space. He sighed and commented, "...It seems he's released more of the Nine-Tails' chakra..."

True to his word, a silhouette appeared through the flames, and Naruto came flying out of the fire, covered deeply with the Nine-Tails' chakra. Three tails flowed behind him, and he used them to speed up his flight to Tobi. His fingers began flying through seals before he slammed his palms into the ground.

"Doton! Doryuheki Sanmon!"

Naruto watched as three earth barriers appeared from beneath the water, and growled as he simply tackled his way through them. As he bashed through the last one, Tobi dashed at him with his hands in another seal.

"Mokuton! Sashiki no Jutsu!"

As if everything slowed down, Naruto watched as the makeshift wooden sword was thrust towards his face, and he rolled in mid-air as he dodged.

"...Mokuton? How the hell are you using the First Hokage's Jutsu!?"

Tobi didn't answer, and instead, clapped his hands together and called out another one.

"Mokuton! Chikabankon no Jutsu!"

The Jinchuriki panicked as thick, tree roots appeared from underneath the water, and he soon found himself trapped underneath them as they grew, creating large, leafless trees. As he attempted to draw more of Kurama's chakra, he felt it drain away from him, and he collapsed weakly onto a branch as Tobi walked up to him.

"I have no mercy to waste on losers... You'll end here."

Naruto's eyes widened as Tobi's Mangekyo flashed in his right eye. He looked down at him and his Sharingan flashed.

"...I wonder if you'll live as your mother did... when I extracted the Kyubi from her."

The boy's form visibly shrunk as he cowered under the gaze of the man, and he continued, "Yes... The Uzumaki gene kept Kushina alive... long enough for Minato and her to seal the Kyubi inside of you..."

Naruto allowed the confusion to seep onto his face, and he barely had time to process the given information when Tobi suddenly began screaming in front of him. As he looked up, he noticed the man's left arm... well, lack of his left his left arm.

"I didn't think that technique would work... I'm just glad you didn't sense me in time to stop it..."

Kakashi appeared in the clearing, his headband lifted above his Sharingan eye as he narrowed his eyes at Tobi. The man in question allowed a small bit of shock to appear before hiding his features behind his high-collar, refusing to turn around. A vortex appeared around the space under his shoulder, and his arm appeared back into position.

The Copy-Ninja narrowed his eyes as he watched the technique, and an anger, never before seen by Naruto, raged in his Sharingan.

"Where did you get that eye?"

Tobi tilted his head as he mused, "I remember it like it was yesterday... I simply took it from the body of that boy beneath the rocks... During that war from so long ago..."

Naruto looked between Tobi and Kakashi in confusion as he asked, "Who are you talking about?"

Both of the veteran shinobi ignored him as Tobi continued, "It was sad... He was still alive, and told me so much... Talked about saving his friends... That he would recover, and come back to Konoha for Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake... Too bad I killed him before he got the chance..."

Kakashi's right fingers began to twitch, and Naruto could have sworn he saw sparks travel between the man's fingers.

"All that pathetic bullshit about bringing peace to this world, and he couldn't do a thing about it. So I killed him and took this eye, and have used it ever since... I'm sincerely... 'thankful'... that you killed that girl and awakened this power in this eye..."

Kakashi's anger ignited full throttle and a gathering of lightning appeared in his hand. Naruto stared at the scarred man as he continued, "...But I need the other one. I've been hunting for you, Kakashi Hatake... To kill the man who took that eye and made a name for himself... Who buried the Uchiha name beneath his own, and still manages to make lame ass excuses in front of graves..."

Kakashi hunched over as the lightning danced around his fingertips, and Naruto stared in awe at the chakra that radiated from the technique.

"If Obito and Rin are anything to go by...you're probably..._worse than trash_..."

"_Raikiri!_"

Right before the lightning blade made contact with Tobi's shoulders, the man burst into smoke, and Kakashi looked around as the man disappeared. The roots encasing Naruto disappeared as he felt the man leave the area, and he stood to his feet.

"Who's Obito and Rin?"

Kakashi sighed as he covered his eye back, replying, "No one you need to concern yourself with... I thought you would have been more curious about Kushina and Minato."

Naruto frowned and looked down at his feet. As Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder, the boy simply shrugged them away as he turned to the raging Sanbi.

"...I've heard Kushina's name a lot, so the fact that the previous Jinchuriki was my mother doesn't surprise me too much... and I've always suspected that the Fourth Hokage was my father, considering he sealed the fox inside of me..."

Kakashi looked down at him and asked, "Then...what's bothering you?"

"...It's the fact that they died because of him... and now I feel no different than the boy that watched him kill the Old Man...who watched as Zabuza died right before my eyes as he watched on nonchalantly...and it pisses me off that this guy is trying so hard to make me suffer like him, and that everyone died because of me."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he stared out to the night sky, and listened as Naruto began making hand-signs.

"...Yes, they died because of you... Because they believed that you could stop him... In a way, I think that hatred for him will be your your greatest strength, and that you'd be able to bring him to justice."

As Naruto stopped on his last sign, he stared at the silver-haired shinobi as he... presumably... smiled from underneath his mask.

"...You think so...?"

"...I mean... I think Minato-sensei would have put his faith in you... and Kushina would have done the same."

Seeing the questioning gaze in his eyes, Kakashi patted him on the head and continued, "I'll tell you later, after this is all done..."

* * *

"Shit! He's curling into a ball again! Move before he rolls over you!"

The beast rolled through the buildings as the ninja scrambled to escape its path. The Sanbi's enraged eyes turned around as it heard a large burst of smoke, and glared at the equally large beast in its path.

_"Alright, Naruto... You owe me a bowl of Ramen after this is done."_

Across from the Sanbi was a large, white fox with red markings all over its body. Both Kakashi and Naruto stood on its head, holding on to the large fox's fur. As Kakashi took off to attack the Sanbi while it was sitting there, Naruto replied to the fox goddess's request.

"Yeah, yeah... Whatever! Just help me fend off the Sanbi until we can figure out what to do with him!"

Inari nodded and took off in a thundering sprint towards the Three-Tails, which was recently struck by Kakashi's Raikiri. As the beast recovered from the shock, it was suddenly knocked over as Inari charged into it.

Nearby, Yamato landed on a small outcrop to prepare for his jutsu. Mumbling to himself, he crouched down, crossing his legs as he sat down. Holding out his marked palm, a series of wooden pillars circled around him, with wooden foo dog faces and candles lit on their heads.

"...Now to wait for an opportune moment..."

Inari jumped out of the way as the large turtle began fire water bullets at her. To help counter them, Naruto held his hand out, allowing chakra to gather there. Balling his hand into a fist, he reared back and began rapidly punching towards the water bullets.

"Gokuho!"

The fox dodged and weaved through the other water bullets, and ran forward with her paws outstretched, latching on to the turtle as she finally screamed, _"Now!"_

"Mokuton! Shishi Hitsu!"

The foo dogs extended from their position, twisting and swerving as they closed in on the Sanbi, clamping their mouth's on its hands and tails. The Biju whined in annoyance as it was held down, and Naruto took the chance to jump over to it.

"Wait! Naruto! What the hell are you doing!?"

Naruto moved to jump onto the beast, but his plan had fell apart instantly when the Biju opened its mouth wide. His eyes shot up fearfully as the beast moved to swallow him whole.

_'Damn! Not the brightest of plans!'_

"Narutooo!"

* * *

_He felt something nudge his shoulder, but he smacked it away as he continued to sleep. The object nudged him again, and Naruto woke in a flying rage, yelling, "Stop poking me, damnit!"_

_ He stopped as he realized he was deep inside a white area, and realized that he couldn't see anything in front of him._

_"...Behind you."_

_ A deep, baritone voice echoed from behind him, and he turned around as he gazed into the large face of the gigantic beast that swallowed him. Naruto jumped and screamed like a girl, and the large beast, in return, wailed and turned its head away._

_ As Naruto lay on the ground, twitching in a fetal position, he suddenly stopped and narrowed his eyes, rolling back over to face the shaking turtle. He sat and glared at it for a few seconds before pointed and screaming, "The hell are you shaking for!?"_

_ The beast began whining and stomping its tails and feet as Naruto screamed at it. Naruto panicked and dodged all of its 'attacks', dropping down in a stance as he prepared to fight. However, upon the Biju's mannerisms, he suddenly realized._

_ '...Is this guy just shy?'_

_ "...Um... Hey... You... You know you swallowed me whole, right? Can... Can you spit me back out?"_

_ The Sanbi stopped its thrashing and stared down at the boy, leaning its face in closer to focus on Naruto with its one eye._

_ "...You're not in your world right now... You're in a Biju's consciousness."_

_ Naruto raised an eyebrow and stared around at the blank whiteness before turning back and replying, "Your consciousness?"_

_ "...Without a Jinchuriki to shape it, my world has no definition... Just the way I like it..."_

_ Naruto solemnly gazed towards the ground, downcast as he realized that this Biju was like Kurama... It didn't want to be a weapon._

_ "Are all Biju like this...? Forced to become weapons of war...? Kurama spoke of the same thing... Just who the hell made the decision to turn you all into weapons!?"_

_ Naruto sweatdropped and scratched his cheek when he noticed the Sanbi backing away from his ranting._

_ 'This guy is too scared of human contact... I should be the scared one here...'_

_ However, the beast did answer... once it had gotten its distance._

_ "...You are Kurama's Jinchuriki? You know his name?"_

_ "...Yeah... Which reminds me, I don't wanna keep thinking of you as a biju, so tell me your name!"_

_ The turtle looked down at Naruto in complete confusion, though it eventually scuttled back to Naruto and answered, "Isobu..."_

_ "Isobu, huh...? I wanna help you, but you're makin' it difficult for me..."_

_ Isobu raised his hands up, as if making a shrugging gesture, before returning to it's normal position._

_ "I'm not... In control... I mean, the masked man's chakra is gone, but his Genjutsu remains... I can't break it."_

_ Naruto frowned, "I though Biju were capable of breaking Genjutsu?"_

_ "Yeah, the Jinchuriki... They have us to save them, but we don't have a pal to save us... Not to mention the Sharingan's Genjutsu is near impossible... Kurama couldn't break it, so what makes you think I can?"_

_ Naruto sighed and rubbed his chin as he began thinking. He looked towards him and asked, "Where is the Genjutsu located? I'll break it for you..."_

_ "Here."_

_ Naruto turned around and blinked as he stared face-to-face with a short blonde kid. The boy had pink eyes and a scar under his eyes. Dressed in gray and green, with a large staff on his back, Naruto did not feel he could have taken this Genjutsu on._

_ "...Um... Who the hell are you, kid?"_

_ A tick mark appeared over the 'kid's' head as he shouted, "I'm not a kid, damnit! I'm a grown man!"_

_ "...Did you skip puberty or something?"_

_ Before Naruto could react, the large staff was swung at his head, knocking him to the floor._

_ "Ow! It hurts, damnit!"_

_ The blonde walked past him as it hopped on top of Isobu, who began whining pitifully. Naruto watched as the young man turned around on the turtle's head and crossed his arms, causing Naruto to feel anger build up in his chest._

_ "Don't just climb onto him like that! You don't fucking own him! Who the hell do you think you are!?"_

_ Pink eyes locked with blue, and the other blonde sighed as he answered, "...I'm Yagura, other wise known as the Fourth Mizukage... and probably the fuck up of Kirigakure..."_

_ "...So you're the guy Tobi was controlling, huh?"_

_ Yagura nodded. He pointed behind him to Isobu, "I actually broke free from his control and let big fella here run wild, but they caught him and put him in Kisame... I've been trying to free him again, but I'm the one causing it... There's not much I can do..."_

_ Naruto glanced at the solemn Isobu, who began whimpering as he nodded. Yagura looked down to Naruto and asked, "...If it's not too much trouble...can you hear me out?"_

_ "Hmm..?"_

_ Yagura sat on Isobu's head and elaborated, "...I've been a Jinchuriki much longer than you... You're actually the youngest, next to Fuu... And it's funny...because you're probably the only one who knows the name of your Biju... The Nine-Tails' real name..."_

_ Naruto stayed silent as he listened to Yagura continue, "You don't think of him as a weapon... You're going out of your way to help Isobu here... You're something special, kid..."_

_ Yagura trailed off, stopping to think for a while before continuing, "I've always wanted to save the Jinchuriki... Bring us all together so we can talk and understand one another... Obviously, as you can see, that didn't work... But you stand a better chance..."_

_ Naruto recoiled away as Yagura suddenly appeared in front of him._

_ "You can save the Biju... Please... Save them all, if you can... They shouldn't be forced into becoming weapons... That's not what the Sage of the Sixth Paths intended."_

_ He reached over into Naruto's pack, pulling out a kunai and handing it to Naruto._

_ "...So erase me... Get rid of the Genjutsu holding Isobu captive... And don't let Tobi get a hold of them..."_

_ Naruto looked at the kunai in his hand, and back up to the Mizukage. Gripping it tightly, he made a decision._

_ "...And before you go, apologize to Kirigakure on my behalf... Especially Mei and Ameyuri..."_

* * *

Mangetsu and Haku, along with Yamato, ran around to the beasts head, preparing to find a way to take it down. However, much to their surprise, Naruto was already out and berating the Sanbi, angrily pointing at its single eye.

"Isobu! No. More. Swallowing! You understand me!?"

Isobu wailed in response, and Naruto smiled before his eyes closed, and he felt himself falling from the Sanbi.

* * *

Trivia:

-Tobi's new Jutsu were:

Hoka Bunshin - Arson Clone

Doton: Doryuheki Sanmon - Earth Release: Earth Wall Three Gate Liberation

Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu - Wood Style: Cutting Edge Technique

Mokuton: Chikabankon no Jutsu - Wood Style: Underground Entwined Roots Technique

-Remember, 'Kid Tobi' did lose to Gai in the Chunin Exams, so he probably would have tried to surpass him at some point.

-According to the Naruto Wiki, Isobu is really shy, so he's more scared of everyone else than they are of him. All of his actions was done out of fear, with slight rage.


	20. Timely Respite

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Naruto groaned as he heard shuffling noises around him. Sighing, he opened his eyes and noticed a crowd of people surrounding him. As he woke, most of the Genin began cheering, and Yamato sighed as his student-in-training finally woke.

"Man... I'd really thought you were out of it, Naruto. Try not to scare us like that, okay?"

Naruto nodded and leaned forward on his bed. From the entrance of the room, Mei and Itachi walked over to the edge of the bed, bandages covering their entire bodies. Mei sat on the mattress and mused, "You seem to be okay... I was a little skeptical about letting you take Madara on by yourself, but I'm glad Itachi made preparations in case we lost."

Naruto frowned and turned away, and Itachi raised an eyebrow as he inquired, "What's the matter?"

"...I still didn't beat him... Even with his Sharingan locked away, he still overpowered me..."

Yakumo frowned as Naruto held his face in his hands, and Sasuke walked up to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! 'The hell was that for!?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and replied, "Did you really think that you were gonna beat Madara Uchiha? You might have gotten way stronger, but you're still no match for a man over a hundred-years-old. The fact that you held out against him until Kakashi arrived is good enough."

Mangetsu shrugged and continued, "Besides... Thanks to you, we were able to get the big guy...," he pointed behind him out of the window, where the Three-Tails was looking through the window, "... under control... You're still a winner to us."

Naruto sighed, but smiled in response. Looking around the room, he noticed someone was missing, and pointed out, "Haku isn't here?"

Ameyuri placed her fist in her cheek as she answered, "...It's Zabuza... He's probably at his grave..."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Naruto's eyes were downcast as he was reminded of the former Swordsman. He tossed away his sheets as he stood up and walked past everyone. Isobu watched as the boy hopped through the window and crawled through his spiky head covering, locking eyes with the giant turtle.

"Oi! Naruto! Didn't you learn from the first stupid move you made!?"

Naruto ignored the calling as he patted the top of Isobu's mouth.

"...So... What are you gonna do from here on out?"

Isobu made a small whine, though only Naruto heard the beast answer, _"... I'll probably stay here... Madara forced me to attack multiple other countries after extracting me from Yagura, so if I leave here, they'll only seal me away... Besides, my Jinchuriki protected this place, so I'll do the same..."_

Naruto gaped and slammed his fist into his open palm as he was reminded of what Yagura told him to do. He turned around and looked back to the confused room, searching for Mei and Ameyuri.

"Hey! You two! Yagura told me to tell you he's sorry!"

Ameyuri's eyebrows rose up, and Mei, confused, walked to the window and asked, "Did you meet Yagura?"

"Yep... Isobu here took me to the Biju Consciousness, and I met him when Tobi used him to control big guy."

Sakura and Karin both stared in awe at the giant turtle, and Sakura questioned, "That thing has a name?"

"Oi! Don't call him a thing! The Biju have names, damnit!"

Itachi rubbed his chin in thought as he processed that information. Closing his eyes, he finally inquired, "So what does Isobu want, if you're the only one who can communicate with him?"

Naruto pointed over his shoulder Isobu and answered, "He says he's gonna stay here in the Land of Mist. Apparently... Tobi forced him to raid countries after he was extracted from Yagura."

The Mizukage sighed as she rubbed her incoming headache. When everyone appeared confused, she elaborated, "Madara... or Tobi... Whatever... The man and Kisame assaulted countries across the borders of Mizu no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni with the Sanbi and-"

Mei trailed off as Naruto glared at her, and she raised her hands in apology and continued, "Sorry... I mean, Isobu and framed me for the incidents and Yagura's 'assassination'... Most likely, as soon as I get into office, we're going to have an upcoming war on our hands... Either with Kumo or ourselves..."

As the woman sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, Itachi spoke up, "...Then we share a common goal... At the moment, our shinobi and Otogakure have been clashing across the borders of Hi no Kuni... Considering Shimogakure's fallen into Kumo's clutches, It's only a matter of time before they go after Yugakure, and border alongside with us."

The Godaime looked over to Itachi before smiling, "It looks like we may have to discuss an alliance, then."

Naruto jumped into the window and grinned wide, excitedly asking "Does that mean we can come back!?"

Itachi looked over to Naruto and shrugged, "Probably... As a matter of fact, I'll allow you to be Konoha's official ambassador for Kirigakure."

"Heck yeah!"

Naruto was suddenly snatched up into Mei's predatory grasp as she smirked. Naruto paled as her voice became sultry and she mused, "Guess that means we'll be seeing each other often, _little Naruto_... In eight or so years, maybe we can set up an arranged marriage... or a _hot,_ _sweaty night in the Mizukage's office,_ hm...?"

Both Ameyuri's and Yakumo's eyes began twitching in anger, and the female swordsman began ranting, "Stop it, Pedo-Kage! Find a man your age, damnit!"

The woman in questioned leaned her head back and laughed haughtily as she dropped the frightened Naruto, "Haha! You underdeveloped little ones can't take a joke, huh? It pleases me that I can still cause a threat to young women with this body!"

"Stop talking like you're old! You're only twenty-five!"

* * *

_"...Haku."_

_ The boy in question shot up from his position as he heard his name being called. Master Zabuza rarely called him by his name. Behind him, Zabuza and Kushimaru Kushiare of the Seven Swordsmen walked behind him. The Hunter Shinobi was covered in blood and kunai and senbon were lined up in his back as Zabuza dragged him along._

_ "Master Zabuza! What happened!?"_

_ Kushimaru grunted as he was placed onto the ground, and the older of the two answered, "Yagura... Him and his damned guard..."_

_ "Why did you try again? You were supposed to wait on the funds!"_

_ The shaggy-haired shinobi said nothing as Haku interrogated him. His master waved off him and said, "Don't worry about that... Just go find something to help him!"_

_ "...That masked man did a number on me... You and I both know this is it, Zabuza..."_

_ Zabuza and Haku stared down at the masked ninja as he held up his blade, Nuibari. He reached over and gave it to Haku as his shoulders heaved under his heavy gagging._

_ "...Zabuza did a good job of raising you... I bet he's proud to have a son like you."_

_ The dark man's eyes narrowed, and made no reply as Kushimaru continued, "...I'm sure Gozu and Meizu would be disappointed in me for failing them... So Zabuza, I'm entrusting them to you... It'll be like having your own Genin team..."_

_ "I'm not interested in more brats, Kushimaru."_

_ A hollow chuckle sounded from behind the mask, and he rolled his head to look at Haku._

_ "...Zabuza pretends to be a hard ass... But he's a good guy... No matter how much he thinks of you as his tool, it's impossible to see shinobi like that, unless you've never understood the ninja world... We are killers, but our hearts can't leave us... We live and fight as demons...but we die human..."_

"...Did you die human, Master Zabuza...?"

In the raining streets of Kirigakure, Haku stood at a particular point, where a small grave had been marked. His master had picked him here, after all. As he stood there, he didn't expect to hear a reply.

"...Yeah. Only a real shinobi worthy of the name... can die the way he did."

Haku jumped a bit as a hand landed on his shoulder, but settled down when he saw Naruto.

"Oh... I see you're up."

Naruto deadpanned and stared at Haku. The feminine boy turned away as Naruto spoke, "Zabuza's not here to hit you if you cry. Stop pretending and let it out.

"..."

As a slight joke, Naruto mused, "You're already weird anyway... It won't matter if you let out a few tears."

Haku looked down at Zabuza's mark before blinking away tears. Naruto watched as he held a hand up, and in a burst of smoke, the Kubikiri Bocho appeared in his hand as he held it out for Naruto.

"...I don't want it... You're Zabuza's apprentice... So keep that sword with you."

Haku raised an eyebrow as he stared at Naruto, "I'm not giving it to you, idiot... I want you to take back to Lady Mizukage... She can decide who to give it to..."

Naruto gripped the heavy blade by its handle and struggled to hold it over his shoulder. As Haku watched on in amusement, the boy gritted his teeth pain, but pretended he wasn't straining under the pressure.

"So... I guess this is goodbye, for now... Haku..."

Zabuza's apprentice nodded as he waved, "I'm sure we'll meet again someday, Naruto..."

The boy grinned and turned to leave the area. As Haku turned back to the grave, he heard Naruto's footsteps halt in their tracks. He silently waited to see what Naruto was going to say, and turned around as Naruto stared at him. The blonde stumbled on his way back to Haku and stopped in front of him.

"...You know... As weird as this sounds... I'm glad you and Zabuza kidnapped me back in the Land of Waves..."

Haku's breath hitched in his throat as Naruto held his hand out and grinned, "Don't look so gloomy the next time I see you."

Brown eyes locked with blue, and Haku smiled as he held his hand out to cross with Naruto's.

"...Take care... Naruto..."

* * *

"Guess we're all packed... Ready to head back to Konoha, Naruto?"

Naruto turned back to stare at the large crowd behind him that had gathered at the gates. He waved at them and turned back to Yamato.

"Ready as I'll ever be..."

Before Naruto could began to walk away, a feminine voice raged through the crowd, and Naruto turned back to see Ameyuri, dragging Mangetsu behind her.

"You were gonna leave without saying anything to me!? Bastard, I outta come to Konoha and kick your ass!"

Naruto sweated as he held his hands up in a surrender. He replied, "Sorry, Sorry! I just... I..."

_'I was trying to leave before you got here!"_

As Mangetsu shrugged her hand away, he and his little brother walked up to Naruto and patted him on his head.

"...Don't do anything stupid while you're back at home... While it might be cool to run away from home, and I know for sure you're gonna miss it someday, don't do that again... You've got these guys, and all of your friends back home."

Naruto grinned as he clasped his hands behind his head, "...I've learned enough, being out here in the wild... It was fun, but I don't wanna do that... At least, not while I'm at the level I am now..."

"Don't ignore me, damnit!"

Naruto turned back to Ameyuri, who reached over and grabbed Naruto, picking him up by the scruff of his shirt. Naruto glanced frighteningly at her, as she pulled him in closer to her, whispering in his ear, "_...Don't be stranger... Be sure to visit here sometime..._"

After a few seconds, Naruto suddenly jumped as she dropped him, waving to him and smiling as he walked away uptightly. Sora looked at him as walked by with a blush and questioned, "Naruto? Dude, what's up?"

"Don't wanna talk about it... I've been traumatized..."

As Naruto moved faster to the boat, a large wail cut him off as he neared it, and every shinobi in the area gazed around in alertness. However, Naruto looked to the ocean coastline, where Isobu had landed.

"Yo, Isobu! What are you doing here!?"

The large Biju slowly crawled over to Naruto and looked down at him.

_"...I came to say goodbye before I returned to the ocean... And to let you know that I'm here if you need my help..."_

Naruto tilted his head in confusion as the Sanbi whined on the outside. Scratching his head, he asked, "I thought the point was to set you free of human hands? You okay with helping me?"

To the shinobi in the area, the beast stayed silent and blankly stared at Naruto. However, Naruto heard him clearly.

_"...You intrigue me... A human, willing to stand up for the Biju is someone worth helping in my book, so if you insist on saving my brothers and sisters, then I have no qualms against helping you..."_

_ '...But it's more because you remind me of 'that' man...'_

Naruto watched as Isobu balled up his fist and held it out. Staring at the large, oversized fist, Naruto grinned and did the same, bumping fists with the large Biju.

"...Well... If you're willing to help us... Can you give us a ride back to Konoha?"

Isobu's single eye closed as he eye-smiled and replied, _"...No."_

Naruto deadpanned as the beast turned around and scuttle back to the waters. The entire area sat in silence, as no one knew what just happened.

"...Naruto, did you just get rejected? You can't fist bump and get rejected!"

However, a large explosion came from the water, and Isobu burst out of it while roaring. Every shinobi panicked, and Ameyuri shouted out, "It's lost control! Prepare for defense!"

_"Hahaha! I was just joking, Naruto! Hop on my shell!"_

While Naruto heard him clearly and sweatdropped in response, the others heard nothing but wails and roars, which continued to set them on edge. Naruto turned around and signaled for them to stop.

"No! He was just laughing! He's not gonna attack anyone! Abort defense procedures!"

* * *

Less than a week later, the convoy finally arrived at Konoha, checking into the gate. As they all stepped onto the streets, Itachi grabbed Naruto's shoulder to stop him.

"First of all, you need to go back to mother and let her know you're alright. After that, meet me in my office... We have things to discuss."

Naruto sighed as Sasuke dragged him off to the Uchiha compound. Yamato looked over to Itachi and asked, "He's getting punishment, right?"

"...That's what we're going to discuss."

* * *

"My third child!"

Naruto stared blankly at the wall as Mikoto Uchiha pulled him into her bosom, squeezing him tightly as she swung him back and forwards.

"...Can't... Breathe..."

Sasuke sat at the table, munching on a stick of candy as he watched his mother torture Naruto. Eventually, she finally set him down and began pinching on his cheek and clothes as she checked over his form quickly. Naruto could barely keep up with what she was saying.

"No marks or scratches? Have you changed and washed your underwear? No alcohol, I hope? I presume your virginity is still in tact, right? Mommy doesn't want to be a grandmommy..."

At the last part, Naruto and Sasuke blanched, "The hell? Woman, stop!"

Mikoto recoiled back as Naruto shouted, and then narrowed her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, the Sharingan activated, and he held his hands up to back away from the Uchiha Matriarch.

"Don't speak to your mother like that! Not after you had me worried, you little brat!"

Naruto grimaced and panicked as she wrapped her arm around his neck and picked him up, dragging him out of the door to the clan's compound.

"Come on, Sasuke-sweetie... We're going to see Itachi now!"

* * *

Itachi raised an eyebrow as he watched his mother drop Naruto unceremoniously on the ground and leave the room. After rubbing his sore head, Naruto looked up to see Yamato, Sora, and Yakumo in the office. Next to them, a red-haired girl with glasses stared at him as he stood to his feet. He walked over to her and held out his hand while grinning.

"Yo! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! You must be the Genin for Team Nine? Why do you have a Kusa headband?"

Karin stared at Naruto and blinked as he began shooting out questions. She was saved as Yamato grabbed him and pulled him away.

"Now, now... Don't bother Karin right now... Your job is to report to the Hokage."

Itachi watched as Naruto crossed his arms and turned away. Ignoring his attitude, The Hokage addressed him with, "...Now you know that you've broken a major rule... If Madara hadn't been involved, I'd have marked you as a missing-nin, and would have had you terminated immediately."

Naruto's breath hitched at his last words, but he stayed silent so Itachi could continue.

"...My punishment for you is six months worth of D-rank missions... You're also on house arrest for that time, seeing as that was how long you were away."

Naruto prepared to open his mouth to protest, but Yamato's hand on his shoulder kept him from speaking his mind.

"...Seeing as you've missed the early graduation for the next Genin, you'll have to wait until next year to try again for the Genin Exam."

The Jinchuriki's eyes flashed red for a second, and the boy seriously considered running back to Kirigakure instead... However, the alliance in place convinced him to not make such a rash decision.

His teammates could feel his heart dropping, and they sincerely hoped that Naruto wouldn't run away again.

Yamato and Itachi sat there in silence, waiting for the boy's protest. Naruto simply sighed and resigned to his fate as he answered, "...I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Karin stared at him with sorrowful eyes. Unlike the others in the room, her sensing of chakra extending to their emotional states. Even as he pretended, his chakra told his own story, flaring between red, violet, and empty darkness.

"...But personally, I feel that would be a waste of talent..."

At once, Naruto's head rose up, and he stared hopefully at the Uchiha. Itachi closed his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.

"...You're the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, and you're Konoha's official Fox Sage... You represent the Uzumaki clan and have a repertoire of skills and experience to show for it, including the defeat of multiple high-leveled shinobi and holding you're own against Madara Uchiha..."

_'I hope he doesn't let this go to his head... The last thing I need is Naruto being a child about this...'_

The Hokage gestured to the door, which his assistant, Komachi, opened the door. In her hands, she held up a flak jacket that the higher-ups of Konoha wore.

Naruto looked at it in awe, and as Komachi walked by him with it, he reached out to grab it. Komachi pulled it away and held it higher as she coldly stated, "You haven't earned the right, idiot."

The boy's features visibly dropped as she walked past him and placed it on the desk in front of Itachi, who patted it for good measure. As the woman took her place next to him, Itachi continued, "...She's partially right. You haven't earned it, as you aren't a ninja of Konoha, though you fall under my jurisdiction..."

Itachi grabbed the flak jacket and held it up, being sure Naruto was able to see the symbol of Uzushiogakure, and placed underneath his desk.

"...With your skills and such, I'm going to allow you to skip the position of Genin."

Naruto's mouth flapped open and closed multiple times until he finally was able to speak.

"...You're making me a Jonin?"

Itachi and Yamato stared at Naruto blankly for a few seconds before they burst into laughter.

"Hell no! Why the hell would I do something like that!?"

Naruto frowned and deadpanned as Itachi and Yamato fell over against the desk, laughing until they could barely breathe. Komachi herself gave away a hint of a grin.

"Oh man... You're funny, Naruto, really... But no... You have great fighting skills, but your leadership and judgement skills are lacking. Therefore, I'll promote you to a Tokubetsu Jonin, as the specialist of Senjutsu and Biju techniques... You'll be Yamato's and Kakashi's assistant until I'm sure you've matured to the acceptable level of a true Jonin... _But_..."

Naruto groaned as the magical "but" came into play.

"But... what?"

"...You have to complete your punishment and you have to go back to the academy for the next graduation."

Itachi locked eyes with Naruto, and the boy began flexing his fingers as the others waited for Naruto's answer.

"...So...?"

Naruto's face contorted into a determined smirk as he pointed at Itachi.

"Get ready to hand over that jacket, you ass! I vow on my ninja way to-!"

Sasuke, who stood in silence the entire time, suddenly awoke from his stupor and cut Naruto off, "Don't you dare finish that!"

* * *

Tobi stared into the mirror as he placed his newly-repaired spiral mask on his face. He slipped into his original Akatuski robes and placed his ring on his finger as he walked out into the hallway of the Amegakure base.

"So you've returned, Madara?"

Stopping in his tracks, Tobi glanced over his shoulder to a spiky, orange-haired man with multiple piercings on his face.

"Nagato... You know that you're supposed to call me 'Tobi'..."

Nagato said nothing as he walked alongside him and mused, "...And you're supposed to call me 'Pain'..."

Tobi grunted as he walked into the Gedo Statue room, where the many Akatsuki followers were waiting. A silver-haired man with a large scythe on his back pointed to him and asked, "Who the fuck's this new guy?"

Pain walked past him as he moved to the head of the room. Tobi said nothing and leaned on the back wall as he waited.

"...This is Tobi, and I sent him with Kisame on the mission to control Kirigakure."

A small, hunched over man stared towards Tobi curiously as he questioned, "And how did that go? Where is the fish, anyway?"

"...Dead."

A woman's voice pierced through the darkness of the room as she sighed, "Poor Kisame... I feel sorry that he had to go so soon.

Pain closed his eyes as outstretched his hand to the blue-haired woman next to him, and she handed him a small slip of paper.

"He did what he could for Akatsuki... Thanks to him, we were able to capture the Six-Tailed Slug, so I have no qualms... However, the Three-Tails is still unattended for, and I've the knowledge that the Nine-Tails was in the vicinity of the battle."

A masked individual sitting on top a briefcase sighed, "So that leaves them outta of the question of our next targets... Their under heavy protection, huh?"

The light-haired woman in the back once again spoke, "Maybe we should be refocusing our efforts towards Orochimaru...? If we can either kill him, or incapacitate him..."

"No point."

All eyes in the room turned towards the masked individual in the back. He elaborated once every looked to him, "Konoha's forces and theirs have been colliding since the Hidden Sound's attempted assault against Kusa, which failed due to the Nine-Tails and his team. They already blame Akatsuki for the assassination of the Third Hokage... Get anywhere near Konoha or Oto in the middle of their cold war, and you'll do nothing but drag Akatuski into an unnecessary war."

A long-haired blond man narrowed his eyes at the masked man. He tilted his head an inquired, "You know a lot about things in the world, don't you? How did you know Akatsuki was framed?"

"...Because I killed the old man. I'm the one who allowed them to frame you."

The entire room became silent, and only Hidan scoffed at his declaration as he growled, "You're the fucking reason our missions have been fucked over? Who the hell do you think you are, huh!?"

"Hidan, stop."

Tobi watched in amusement as Hidan completely disregarded Pain's warning and stomped towards him.

"You expect me to accept that this guy killed that old man!? That this punk bitch that's the cause of all our troubles... To just let him walk in and fuck us over!?"

His partner groaned loudly as he stated, "Hidan, stop ranting... We don't have time."

"Fuck you, Kakuzu!" he yelled as he glared at his partner, and turned back to point to Tobi, "And fuck you, too! I ain't accepted this shit!"

Tobi leaned over, allowing his long hair to darken his countenance as the man charged him, throwing out his scythe on a long chain.

"...You've made a grave mistake, idiot."

Tobi grabbed his scythe with a single hand, and in one quick motion, shattered it to pieces. Before Hidan had time to be shocked, the chain was suddenly tugged on, and Hidan came flying towards Tobi's hand as he gripped his neck.. Hidan raged as he witnessed the Sharingan through the hole in the man's mask and growled out, "...You...fucker...!"

"Don't try my patience."

In a quick motion, the man was suddenly warped away, and the room stopped as he simply rid the room of Hidan in an instant. Tobi then twisted on his heel and kicked the air, and Hidan appeared back in the world before being knocked into the wall.

As the entire room blinked at the event, Deidara raised his into the air slowly as Pain raised an eyebrow, inquiring, "What is it, Deidara?"

"...Aruki, you can take Sasori as your partner. Can I call dibs on the Uchiha?"

* * *

Trivia:

-This ends this little arc, and the next one will be a time-skip.

-I like toying around with romantic options and such, but I'm not really big on pairings... I really want to try my hand at one in this fic, but I'm not making a definite decision on them.

-Tokubetsu Jonin, as you know, are simply people with a specialized aspect that is Jonin-level. Since the Sannin aren't in the village, Naruto is the only person with Senjutsu, which is his specialized aspect along with being a Jinchuriki. Since he's a student that assists both Kakashi and Yamato, it's like he's still a student even if he wears the flak jacket.

-I didn't know how to completely emulate Tobi's Jokester Mode, so I simply opted for him to act normal.

-Orochimaru has completely left Akatsuki by this time, so he's been replaced. Itachi's replacement is another man, who wasn't mention, and Tobi is Kisame's 'replacement'. The woman, Aruki, is Orochimaru's replacement.

-Since Itachi didn't recruit Deidara this time around, he doesn't hate the Sharingan and Itachi, which means he also doesn't have the scouter to stop Genjutsu.


	21. Cold War

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

It had been three years and a few months since the incident in Kirigakure. During those years, tensions between the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sound had rose, and at that point, they believed it was only a matter of time before one invaded the other. At the same time, Kumogakure created an alliance with Shimogakure, and had moved closer to the border of Otogakure.

The world had assumed the Fourth Shinobi World War was on it way, and the only two major players left in question were Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Konoha's goal to discover the relations between Kumo and Oto was resumed, and the Cold War had begun.

* * *

At the moment, Konoha's Hokage sat in his office as he waited for his report. The dark-haired man placed his head on his fist as his assistant sat on the edge of his desk.

"...You sure it was wise to send him on that mission? For something that important, you should have picked a Jonin more experienced...like an _actual _Jonin."

Itachi Uchiha stared at the woman in amusement as she once again ranted about the Tokubetsu Jonin.

"...You know he's a danger to the mission... I know you've watched over his training, but you have too much confidence in him... He's like a loose cannon..."

She had trailed off, as she noticed the Hokage struggling to hold back his laughter. With his raised eyebrows and sickening, sly smirk, she had the distinct feeling he was mocking her.

"What?"

She frowned at the smile of the Uchiha. Usually, the only people able to draw smiles from him was his family and that blonde brat. His smile widened as he suggested, "You've done absolutely nothing but rant about him since I gave him that jacket... Do you want to be the one to train him?"

At his suggestion, Komachi held up her hands and shook her head as denied, "No! Um... I'm sorry, sir, but I-"

"I think you've become interested in him over the years... I remember that one day, a couple of weeks ago, when you couldn't get your hands off of him."

Komachi's teeth gritted, and in a display of emotion unfit for an ANBU, she yelled, "That's because I was beating the hell out of him!"

"...If that's what you want to call such a compromising position, I have no qualms."

The Hokage's assistant rolled her eyes and began filing away papers to ignore the rest of his teasing. Eventually, the door to the office creaked as someone entered, and the object of her disapproval made itself known.

"Yo."

Itachi held his hands out as he gestured to his student, "Glad you could make it back... I trust the mission was successful?"

"Duh. The mission was pretty easy. Takigakure was pretty willing to accept the alliance after I saved their Jinchuriki, Fuu."

Itachi nodded as Naruto handed him the scroll. Komachi frowned as she looked over the thirteen-year-old blonde... well, until his birthday tomorrow... She noticed that he continued to wear the flak jacket over the traditional navy blue suit. Three rings tightened each sleeve on Naruto's arm, and around his neck was the Konoha headband. A large, seal rope circled around his flak jacket, along with his Kitsune contract scroll locked on his back with a strap. Realizing that he was being subjected to scrutiny, he looked over locked eyes with her.

"...So was Akatsuki there?"

At that point, Naruto frowned and sighed, "Yes, and no."

Both Itachi and Komachi narrowed their eyes, and Itachi leaned back in his chair as he ordered, "Elaborate."

"...It seems Iwagakure's preparing for war as well... They tried to kidnap the Jinchuriki of Chomei and extract it from her, and led an assault on Takigakure to do so."

Itachi began rapidly searching through desk as he searched for something, much to the confusion of Komachi and Naruto. Itachi waved his hands for Naruto to continue.

"...Okay... Well, leading Iwagakure's assault was a blonde man on a bird... He wore the robes of Akatsuki."

Itachi let out a "Aha!" as he found what he was searching for and pulled it from beneath his desk. In his hands was a small scroll that he unraveled and gave to Naruto. The blonde picked it up and began reading it to himself. He began blinking as he finished and questioned the Hokage, "...So they're preparing for war, huh? That explains the need to kidnap Fuu, but even without that, they have the oldest Jinchuriki with the most experience... Surely they can decimate a country with only one who's the same age as me?"

Komachi was the one who answered as she pointed out, "Because of Us and Kumo... Kumogakure's gathering allies left and right, and we're allied to Kirigakure while they're repairing... Even if they can put Suna out of the equation, they still have us and Kumo to worry about. Did you actually attack the convoy?"

"...At the time, our team was wearing the clothing of Takigakure to fit in... They probably don't know that Konoha was responsible."

Itachi clasped his hands together as he began thinking. Sighing, he looked up to Naruto and commented, "At any rate, Konoha's not in sight of their rage, so we have no idea whether Iwa is an ally or not...though that isn't very likely. At the moment, we should focus on taking allies away from Kumogakure and Iwagakure. We can worry about Suna later."

Naruto nodded as Itachi handed him the payment for the mission and sent him on his way. As Naruto got to the door, Itachi stopped him as he called out, "Be sure to go visit mother. You know she's planning your secret birthday party tomorrow."

The Tokubetsu Jonin sighed and left after closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Hello, Naruto! It's nice to see you again!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow a Karin's exclamation, but nodded and sat down with Team Seven and Nine at the Akimichi Restaurant. Yakumo locked eyes with him, but huffed and turned away, and Naruto rolled his eyes. Sora sighed, but quickly moved to get the tension away from the two.

"So, Naruto. You're mission was a success, right?"

Naruto shrugged, "As much as it could be... Fuu and Chomei's safe in Takigakure for the time being, and we left Jonin there to make sure Akatsuki and Iwa don't try again."

Sasuke grunted as he reached over for a piece a meat. Unlike the other members, Only he and Sakura had been promoted to Chunin over the years. Like Naruto, Yakumo had been selected as a Tokubetsu Jonin, due to her lack of physical prowess. Sora, Sai, and Karin were still Genin due to the fact that they were defeated in the final rounds of their exams.

"So you're prepared for tomorrow? You know mother's planning you a surprise party, right?"

Naruto deadpanned, "You and your brother are the worst party-goers ever... Why the hell do you both keep telling me there's a surprise party? The point is in the title, dumbass."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, and even more so as Sakura giggled next to him. Naruto sighed as Yakumo continued to ignore him, and Karin leaned over to whisper in his ear, "_What's her problem?_"

"...I can hear you, Karin."

Karin leaned away as Yakumo grimaced in disgust and stood up from her seat, storming away from the group.

"...Dude, why is she pissed at you?"

Naruto frowned darkly as she walked away and growled, "I don't wanna talk about it." Sora shook his head as he stood and chased after her, and the teams were left in awkward silence.

"Oi, Naruto!"

Hearing his name called, he looked over his shoulder and groaned as his 'other' team walked into the restaurant. The first was Anko Mitarashi the snake mistress, who plopped down next to Naruto and threw her arms around his shoulder. The other was a man dressed the outfit on an ANBU, with a mask and a white, hooded cloak wrapped around his form. Naruto grimaced as Anko pulled him in closer her bosom unknowingly, and he could see the tips of her-

"...Anko, get the hell off me."

Anko frowned as she tossed him away and crossed her arms.

"Fine... I see why that girl walked out on you, 'cause you're horrible with women... You didn't even pay attention to the fact that green-haired girl was into you..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What? Fuu? No way."

The ANBU behind him grunted, "She tried to get you to sneak off with her the entire time... And then you actually did before we left."

Naruto scratched his cheek in awkward silence as Anko stared incredulously at him and pointed angrily.

"You actually slept with a female...and I didn't know about this!?"

The blonde's eyes widened and he smacked her finger away as he protested, "I didn't! She kissed me, and that was it! We didn't do anything suspicious! I swear I didn't touch her butt!"

However, as soon as Naruto heard snickering, he began to angrily stroke his sore forehead as Anko laughed at him. Even worse, Sasuke stood from his seat abruptly, eyes closed as everyone looked at him.

"...Wait till I tell mother you were having sex. You're gonna get it."

Again, Naruto defended himself with, "I was not, damnit! Stop making me out to be a pervert!"

* * *

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke stood outside the entrance to the Uchiha Compound, and Naruto had to sweat-drop at the decorations on the walls.

"...This was her idea of a surprise birthday? Did she make the Uchiha clan members work all night on this?"

Sasuke grunted as he was reminded and motioned for him to follow. As they arrived at the entrance, Naruto peeked through the dark window, and locked eyes with another's pale eyes. Those eyes widened and disappeared, and Naruto sighed.

"Naruto... At least pretend you're surprised."

Naruto heard the shuffling on the other side of the door and mused, "I'll try..."

The Uchiha placed his hand on his door and slid it open. As Naruto walked in, he reached in his pocket for a kunai as the lights switch on, and many voices screamed out, "Surprise!"

"Ahhh!"

Naruto fell back on his behind with his kunai held up and he pretended to shake in fear. Mikoto, who stood in front of the crowd, raised an eyebrow as he hit the floor.

"...I already know that they spoiled it for you... And plus, you're a shinobi! You're supposed to expect things like this!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he stood to his feet, "Sorry, Mikoto..."

However, the woman simply smiled and patted him on the head as she pulled him to the rest of the party. He shook hands with many of his former classmates and teachers, including Kurenai Yuhi.

"...Kurenai-sensei! Hey, it's been a while!"

The dark-haired, crimson-eyed Jonin-sensei of Team Eight smiled as she poke him in the forehead.

"I see you've grown up a bit, Naruto... Much more than that depressed academy student I once knew."

Naruto grimaced as he rubbed his head and replied, "I wasn't depressed... Just misunderstood..."

Kurenai laughed and walked away from Naruto as he was bombarded by more greetings. As he stopped to talk with his old friends from the Academy, a voice called out to him from the wall next to him.

"...It seems you look like him more by the day."

Naruto looked over as an older man, with spiky, white hair tied in a ponytail leaned against the drawer of the Uchiha home. Naruto placed his hands behind his head as he looked to the man an asked, "...And you are?"

The older man raised an eyebrow at the boy, and when his eye started twitching, Naruto had the feeling he had done something wrong. Much to his surprise, the man jumped into a silly pose as a large toad was summoned in the room, causing everyone to scream as they moved to the other side.

"You don't know who I am!? I am Jiraiya, the goddamned Toad Sage, the legendary Sannin, and the world's self-proclaimed super pervert!"

Naruto sweat-dropped as the man went into his introduction. The Uchiha Matriarch screamed out from the other side of the room, "Put that damned toad away! It's stinking up my living space!"

Jiraiya blushed and dismissed the angry amphibian as he crossed his arms and shrunk away from the crowd's glares.

_'This guy is one of the Sannin? Like Orochimaru? That means the old man trained him...'_

"So... Legendary Sannin, huh? What did you mean by what you were saying? I look like who?"

Jiraiya jumped as he remembered that Naruto was still with him and blinked to clear his thoughts, "I meant Minato Namikaze... Someone I knew from a while back..."

"...You mean my father? You know my father?"

The Sannin paused and looked at him in shock, "_You_ know your father?"

"I mean, I know he's the Fourth Hokage and that he my mother sealed Kurama within me."

Naruto sighed as the older man blinked when he stated the Nine-Tails' name. However, he shook his head and stated, "I was his Jonin-sensei... I trained Minato personally."

The blonde's eyes went wide as he stared at the Sannin in awe.

_'Is this guy... I wonder if he's stronger than dad? Stronger than Itachi?'_

Jiraiya looked down at the boy as he motioned for him to follow him outside. He walked with him to the small training ground that he and Sasuke used to train at long ago. Jiraiya stopped at the dock of the large lake and waited for Naruto to catch up with him.

"...If you know your father and mother, then you know about Madara and the Akatsuki. As Minato's teacher... and your godfather, it's my job to make sure you're prepared for them..."

Naruto's eyes widened as Jiraiya spoke, and the older man placed his hand on his shoulder as he continued, "...The Akatsuki are made up of ten S-Rank missing-nin... Madara, I presume, is the leader, even if he pretends he's not. Orochimaru was also a member of them."

Naruto stared down at the water's surface as Jiraiya squeezed his shoulder tighter. The masked man's face appeared in his mind again, a face he hadn't seen in over three years.

"You were lucky, as Kisame didn't have the experience of being a Jinchuriki from a young age and he lost his mind to the Sanbi. The others are not as loyal to Madara, and they'll show you no mercy. I know you want to save the other Jinchuriki, but you're not saving anyone if you die to them, you understand?"

Naruto stared at the old man and nodded slowly. The man's serious demeanor quickly changed to his old cheeriness, and he smiled and said, "As Minato's former teacher and confidant, I'll make sure his son surpasses him as he is meant to. I got some business to tend to, so come find me in a week... I'll be sure to pass along his and Kushina's techniques that I know."

Jiraiya let go of his shoulder and walked away, leaving Naruto to stare into the lake. He sat in silence for a few moments before a voice called him.

"Naruto."

He turned around to see his assigned ANBU teammate standing behind him. He sighed and turned back to the lake.

"What is it, Hyo? Another assignment?"

Hyo nodded and elaborated, "Nothing difficult. My ANBU team captured a team from Iwa an hour ago, and Lord Hokage wants us to interrogate them... Anko and Ibiki requested your presence."

"...Why?"

"...The person keeps referring to the Jinchuriki."

* * *

"...I've told you already... When you lie to me, I hurt you."

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'!"

Naruto sighed as he heard the scratchy voice from the other end of the hall. Anko began rubbing her hands in flee as she led Naruto down the hall to the interrogation room. Opening the door, Naruto walked in and was surprised as when the the voice screaming back at Ibiki Morino belonged to a female. The man turned his head as the Tokubetsu Jonin closed the door behind him.

"...I see you've come, Naruto.

Naruto shrugged and pulled up a chair as he relaxed in it. Reaching over for his pouch, he pulled out a cup of water with a silly straw on it. After taking a sip, he fisted his cheek and sighed, "I heard about the commotion from Hyo... Said she knew something about the Jinchuriki..."

"I don't have time for this!"

Naruto and Ibiki turned back to the brown-haired teenager as she slammed her hands on the desk.

"...You're a prisoner, so you don't have any more time, to be honest..."

She growled and pointed to Naruto, moving to attack. After hearing the clicking of many katana being unsheathed, she quieted down and silently fumed in her chair. The blonde rose an eyebrow as he took another sip, and motioned to switch seats with Ibiki.

"...Lemme talk to her..."

Ibiki said nothing as he left from his seat, and Naruto replaced him, staring at the teenager as she crossed her arm and turned away.

"...What do you know about Iwa's Jinchuriki?"

She turned back to him and growled, "I'll you the same thing I told him! I'm not telling you a damn thing! You're no better than the Akatsuki!"

However, at that point, Naruto's, Ibiki's, and Anko's ears perked up at her last statement.

"...What about Akatsuki? Iwa's allied to them, so what's with the hostility?"

The girl's eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth, shaking her head as Naruto stood up.

"...Has Akatsuki betrayed Iwa... Or did Iwa give their Jinchuriki up in exchange for Akatsuki's help?"

When tears began flowing out of her eyes at Naruto's second question, a dark look appeared in Naruto's eyes, and he grabbed the girl's arm as she attempted to pull away.

"The Jinchuriki's your sensei, huh? Did Akatsuki chase you all out of the village?"

The woman cried harder as she attempted to break away from Naruto, and he let her go. As she backed away from him, he moved closer and continued, "...Where is your sensei? As a fellow Jinchuriki, I can't let this continue...," The girl squeaked as Naruto picked her up and yelled, "So tell me where the hell he is!"

* * *

"You can't run from my art forever, Han! I'll make you suffer for disregarding this beauty!"

A large man dressed in red armor with a black kimono hopped through the trees of Kusagakure and dodged the Akatsuki's swarm of explsoive clay. He dropped to the ground, rolling to a stop next to a bridge. A large, gigantic bird flew towards him, and he saw no way out but forward. The steam pack on his back exhaled a large amount, and he dashed towards the bird and swung his foot.

"Fungokyaku!"

High above the trees, the blonde-haired member of Akatsuki, Deidara, watched with a smirk as the explosion went off.

"Disrespect my art again! That'll show you!"

However, the smoke and flames were blown away, and Deidara watched as bubbling, red chakra appeared from the epicenter.

"...Oh man... This is gonna be a blast!"

* * *

Trivia:

-Naruto's teammate, Hyo, is an ANBU assigned to watch him as Kakashi and Yamato does.

-The reason for Yakumo's and Naruto's argument will soon be revealed.

-The woman being interrogated and her team is from the anime, her name will probably be revealed in the next chapter.


	22. Questioned Loyalties

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"...Iwa hires Akatsuki to do missions for them... It allows them to operate under secrecy while the Akatsuki are guaranteed to complete their missions..."

As the girl paused in her speech, Naruto finished for her, "And the price for their employment is the Jinchuriki, huh?"

Naruto's anger rose as she nodded frightfully, yelping as he began gripping her skin tightly. It was thanks to Anko's hand on his shoulder that saved her from more pressure. He stood from his spot and moved to leave the area when Hyo appeared in front of him.

"Naruto. Don't make any rash decisions. As sad as it is for him, you must let it go."

The Jinchuriki locked eyes with the ANBU as the others in the room felt the tension between them.

"Hey lady, what's your name...?"

She worriedly stared between the two as they stared each other down, finally answering, "Su-Suzumebachi."

Naruto blinked as he processed that and simply stated, "...That's too long, so I'm calling you Suzu. You're coming with me."

Suzumebachi looked between Naruto and the ANBU in front of him. She heard the clicking of multiple katana, and the soft, slithering whispers of snakes from the woman behind the blonde. She made no move to answer as she stayed in her spot, not wishing to die. Naruto snarled, "...Hyo, move. I'm not asking you again."

"No. Lord Hokage assigned me as your caretaker to make sure you don't pull idiotic moves like this."

Hyo sweated under his mask as a slight pulse of demonic chakra resonated from the kid in front of him, but he couldn't afford to back down... It was his head on the platter if he failed.

"Then send one of your ANBU to bring Itachi here. Me and Suzu are leaving one way another... If I have to kill you all, so be it. Suzu, come here."

The woman shook her head as she sat still, and Naruto tensed up as he felt something slither up his pants leg.

"You too, Anko?"

The purple-haired woman stared blankly at him as she answered, "Hyo is right, Naruto... There's no way you'll be able to get to the guy in time... That's a weeks trip... As a Jinchuriki, I'm sure he's powerful, but there's no way he can last a week against the Akatsuki."

"Don't talk about Master Han like that! There's no way he'll die!"

Naruto looked over to Suzu after her outburst, and his resolved steeled as she held a tearful glare to the shinobi in the room. Naruto balled his fist up as he growled, "That settles it...," and everybody in the room tensed up to prepare for combat.

"Zankukyok-!"

As he pulled his fist back, a hand gripped his wrist and held him back. Shocked that someone appeared behind him so fast, Naruto turned and stared into the single eye of Kakashi Hatake. The man's eye was narrowed as he squeezed the teen's hand tightly, causing him to cry out.

"...Attacking your comrade, Naruto? Do I need to remind you about being a proper shinobi?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and growled, his eyes flashing red for only a second. In front of him, Yamato's marked hand was outstretched as he sealed away Kurama's influence, and behind him was the Hokage and his assistant.

"Naruto... What am I gonna do with you?"

The teenager refused to meet anyone's eyes as he looked to the ground. Yamato's disappointed gaze, combined with Itachi's and Kakashi's furious countenances caused him to feel embarrassed. Itachi face-palmed himself as he motioned for Kakashi to take him away.

"...Put him in a holding cell for a while... I don't have the time or patience to deal with him now."

As Kakashi tugged on his arm to carry him away, he looked over to the crying ex-Iwa kunoichi and promised, "I'm going to get outta here, and I'm gonna save your master from Akatsuki's clutches, one way or another... I'll bet my life on that."

The woman locked gazes with him a last time before Kakashi and Yamato dragged him through the door. She glanced over to Itachi, who motioned to Ibiki to place her somewhere as well.

"...You sure? We already know why she's here... We should just execute her, and keep her and her teammates mouths shut."

Her eyes widened in fear for her life, and Itachi turned back to Ibiki incredulously as he stated, "Did you not hear Naruto? You kill her, and we'll have to find someone else to place the Nine-Tails in. I'm not too keen on pulling a Yondaime just yet."

* * *

"...I always said you'd go to jail before me..."

Naruto snarled, "Shut the hell up, Sasuke."

The Chunin snickered as he watched Naruto through the bars. However, they eventually died down, and he regained his serious expression.

"...You know, you were the one to set that impossible goal... To save all the Jinchuriki."

Naruto said nothing as he sat on the hard mattress and gripped his fists tightly.

"...They are weapons, whether you like it or not. The countries will obviously claim ownership of them, and going to save one, especially that one, will place Iwa as our enemy... The goal you wish to achieve requires an absence of politics..."

The teen stayed silent as Sasuke moved to the lock of his cell and opened it.

"...It's officially been a day, so you can leave... Try not to get into trouble again, Naruto..."

Naruto walked away, gripping his fists tightly as he angrily punched the cement wall as he exited. The Uchiha sighed, and motioned to another Chunin to get someone to repair the wall.

* * *

"...Just get me a bowl for now, Ayame."

The waitress at Ichiraku's nodded sadly as she motioned to her father for a bowl. Naruto breathed in deeply as he attempted to calm himself. He closed his eyes as he felt someone appear behind him.

"...Look, I don't give a damn about what advice you have to give me. Go away."

He jumped as the female voice retorted sharply, "Well, fine! I _came_ to see if you were alright since I heard you were locked up, but I guess I've changed my mind."

Naruto rolled his eyes as Yakumo turned away from the stand, and stood to move after her. Before she got to far, he grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her back to the stand and plopped her on the seat.

"...I'm sorry... If you want to eat here, then I don't have a problem."

Yakumo narrowed her eyes at him before she ordered a bowl. When Naruto grabbed his bowl, she frowned at his slow paced feasting that was very uncharacteristic of him and asked, "...So what's bothering you? Why did you get locked away?"

"I was about to kick my teammates' ass."

As Naruto continued to eat in silence, he sighed at the pointed look on her face and continued, "The Iwa kunoichi we captured was a student of one of Iwa's Jinchuriki. Iwa used him as currency, and he and his team's on the run... I wanted to go save him."

Yakumo hmm'd and split apart her chopsticks as her ramen had arrived. The two teenagers continued to eat in silence as Naruto waited. Eventually, the silence bothered him and he asked, "...Why haven't you said how wrong I was?"

"...You didn't want to hear any advice, remember?"

Naruto sighed at her retort and rolled his eyes again as he questioned, "What do you think? You know how much I _value_ your opinion."

"Honestly? I think you're an idiot. You think Iwagakure's just gonna let you steal the Jinchuriki they own?"

Naruto slammed his hand on the stand, shocking the others in the vicinity as he yelled, "They don't own him! They were planning on trading him for Akatsuki's loyalty!"

Yakumo sighed as she continued, "A ninja is loyal to their village, and a Jinchuriki is also classified as a ninja. Regardless of your personal feelings, Naruto, a Jinchuriki still falls under their Kage's jurisdiction."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he pushed away his unfinished bowl and stood from his seat. Yakumo watched as he stormed out of Ichiraku's, sighing as she continued to eat.

* * *

Naruto stood on the Fourth Hokage's stone face overlooking the entire village. He grunted as he kicked a small pebble over its edge. Behind him, he heard a noise, and he groaned out, "...I'm sincerely tired of people coming to reprimand me for what I did. Get out here and say what you have to say before I toss you over the edge."

"...Someone seems angry. Have I come at a bad time?"

The smooth voice caused him to freeze up, and he turned around with a kunai in his hand as Tobi appeared behind him.

"...It's been a while... You know, my heart flutters for you when you're away, Naruto."

Naruto panicked and moved back closer to the edge, preparing to jump if necessary.

"I'm not here to capture you...yet... I'm here to talk... I don't have too many friends, you know? None except for you."

Naruto frowned as Tobi walked closer to him, inching along like a murderer in a horror film.

"...Maybe you should make friends with your Akatsuki buddies..."

Tobi shrugged and replied, "Nah... They aren't fun. But in all seriousness, I'm here because you and I share a common enemy at this moment, even if you don't know it yet."

The teenager narrowed his eyes as the man held his hands up, as if he were innocent. Naruto growled out, "Then go get him yourself. I'm not your friend."

The masked Uchiha dramatically sighed, "I'm too lazy... I'd rather you killed him for me... That'd be a lot cooler, don't you think? We'd be working together for the first time... And as an incentive for helping me, I'll tell you something important."

"...And what do you have to tell me?"

The man's Sharingan eye narrowed, and Naruto had the distinct feeling that he had smirked at him.

"...That Han? The Jinchuriki for the Five-Tails that you wanted to save? He's alive... He escaped my eccentric partner, and is now in Takigakure, thanks to your little mint-haired squeeze..."

Naruto's entire expression changed into one of excitement as he spoke, and secretly, he hated himself for appearing like the gullible little kid that ran away years ago.

"...But don't worry... I'll leave them for now... Just make sure you kill Orochimaru for me... Ta-ta..."

Naruto watched as the man disappeared just as soon as he left, and he sighed as he sat back down.

_'Was he telling the truth...? I need to go check with Fuu... But I'm scared that it'll be a trap.'_

Naruto closed his eyes and moved to his feet, readying himself at the edge. He took off into a running start and leaped from the mountain heads. What he didn't notice was the light-haired figure behind him, watching him as he fell.

* * *

"Did you let out your manly tears, Naruto?"

Naruto stared blankly at the brunette resting on his couch. After he went back to Ichiraku's for his _real _meal, he decided to crash for the day and worry tomorrow. However, he was now stunned, as Yakumo sat on his seats as if she owned them. And now, he was irritated.

"...Yakumo, what the hell are you doing? Get outta my house!"

Yakumo pouted and dug further into his couch. As she watched him grind his teeth together, she coyly taunted, "I'd rather stay... My mansion has become so lonely... Usually, I'd stay at Sora's, but he's on a mission... That leaves either you or Karin."

"Go to Karin."

Yakumo stuck out her bottom lip and replied, "Nah. You know she annoys me."

"...You annoy me."

The brunette laughed as she kicked her legs on the arms of his couch, purposely creating and enjoying the dirty looks he gave her. Naruto clicked his tongue and sat at his kitchen table, glaring at the teen on the couch. He sighed, "...Tch, I thought you were annoyed with me... Why are you here?"

"...I told you, my mansion is quite lonely, so I'm staying with you for the night."

Naruto grunted and waved at her over his shoulder as he moved to his room.

"..You know what? I don't care. Do what you want."

Yakumo's eyes narrowed as he got to his door and leaped off the couch and ordered, "Halt! You're going to go to your room while your guest is out here?"

"...What is it that you want with me? Why the hell are you here?"

As Naruto turned around and growled at her, she closed her eyes and sighed, finally answering, "Today is the day that my powers were first sealed away... It's the day that Sandaime burned down my mansion... and the day my parents died."

Naruto sighed in annoyance, causing her to snarl, "What!? You don't believe me?"

"I've told you a thousand times... There's no way in hell that the old man set your mansion on fire! That Ido of yours is no more a monster than Kurama! The Sandaime didn't try to kill you...!"

Not willing to back down from the challenge, she angrily began arguing back, "I heard him! I overheard his conversation, and I know he considered me a loose cannon!"

"You're calling the old man a monster!? In my place!?"

Naruto walked over to her and roughly grabbed her shoulder, moving to carry her out of his apartment. As she struggled to loosen his grasp, he arrived at the door and prepared to toss her out.

"...I'm not dealing with you now. Go away."

Before he could push her away, she moved away from his grasp and moved back to his couch, diving head first in it as she protested, "I'm not leaving!"

"Yakumo, get out... This is the proof that we can't be in the same room together."

As he reached her, he grabbed her waist to pull her away from his couch as she gripped the arms. After a while of fighting, Naruto growled, "Get out! Don't make me do something I'll regret!"

"No! I'm not going back to that mansion! I promise I'll be quiet here!"

Naruto sighed and pulled harder, which ended with both of the Tokubetsu Jonin falling back to the floor. As the struggle continued, neither one heard the knock of the door...nor the creaking of it as it opened. Neither one stopped fight until the person spoke from the door.

"...Wait till I tell mother you were having sex..._again_... You're gonna get it big time, Naruto."

Naruto and Yakumo both paused like a deer in headlights as Sasuke and Kakashi stood at the entrance. The older Jonin was giggling madly as he placed his book into his pack and the Uchiha stared blankly at the two, though Naruto could see amusement dancing in his eyes.

"It's not what it looks like!"

Sasuke raised his hand up as he cut Naruto off with, "Don't wanna know... Just here to tell you that brother wants to see us."

Naruto moved away from Yakumo as he stood and nodded. Motioning for Kakashi and Sasuke to leave, he turned back to Yakumo who moved back to his couch.

"...If you really don't want to stay in your other mansion, you can stay here while I'm gone."

She watched as he walked to the entrance of the apartment and closed the door behind him, locking eyes with her as the door shut completely.

* * *

When Naruto had arrived to the Hokage's office, he saw Hyo in front of Itachi's desk, who gave him an evil look through his mask as they passed each other. Glaring at him as he stepped to the back of the room, he turned his attention back to the Hokage. He pretended to be ignorant to the annoyed look on the Hokage.

"...I'll not speak of yesterday, alright? You and I both know you're not going to listen to me."

Naruto shrugged as Itachi placed his face in his hands. From the left of Naruto, Komachi rolled her eyes at him before she continued to file away her paper work. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the assisstant before asking, "So what do you want me for? I can already tell you're not going to let me out of the village... You and I both know where I'm going if you do."

Eyes dancing with shock, Naruto ducked under the flying folder, and was suddenly pulled up by his scarf.

"You insolent little-!"

Itachi's voice resonated through the room, "Komachi. Down," and Naruto was thankful as he was save from the woman's wrath. She growled and dropped him, moving back to her papers as she gave him dirty looks from her desk. Rubbing his sore neck, Naruto turned back to Itachi as he spoke.

"...I still don't trust you out of Konoha's grasp, but you're the only one capable for this mission..."

Naruto raised in eyebrow in confusion as he questioned, "...Besides being a Jinchuriki, my skills in everything else pale in comparison to other ninja."

The Hokage motioned behind him, where he turned and saw Yamato, Kakashi, and Sasuke standing there.

"This mission requests need of your Uzumaki blood. Near the Valley of the End, we've discovered an abandoned hideout after a skirmish with Otogakure. It has been sealed up with blood seals related to the Uchiha and the Senju... However, there's another that requires an Uzumaki, and you're the only one in existence now."


	23. Behind the Waterfall

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

Naruto allowed his annoyance to seep onto his expression as he hopped through the trees towards the Valley of the End. The ANBU and the group decided to travel in a protective formation, circling around him as they continued to move forward.

"...Guys... I said I wasn't going to run... I'm okay for now..."

The other ninja said nothing as they closed the gap between their distances, and a tick mark appeared above Naruto's brow.

"Goddamnit, I'm claustrophobic! Get the hell outta my bubble!"

The shinobi backed off, though it was only by a foot. The teenager sighed until Hyo motioned to his team behind him.

"We'll stop here... We can move again in the morning."

Everyone nodded and landed on the ground, quickly unsealing their camping equipment as they prepared to break.

* * *

By nightfall, the group had their camp set up, and Naruto sat on top a log as he closed a book up.

"...What's that...? Your diary, or something?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder as Kakashi appeared behind him. He twisted over the log to face the Jonin as he placed the book in his pouch.

"...No. Mind your own business."

Kakashi shrugged and leaned against a tree as he replied, "Sadly, your business is my business... But I'm not going to intrude... You've dealt with enough."

The blonde hmp'd and closed his eyes for a few moments. Eventually, he realized that Kakashi never left his spot and stayed in front of him. He looked him up and down and snarled, "What?"

"...You might have gotten to the ANBU and Sasuke, but me and Yamato saw it clearly. When we were setting up the tents, you sent a shadow clone somewhere. Where did he go?"

Naruto mentally cursed as the Jonin figured out, but kept his expression hidden as he waved the man off.

"To scout the area... duh..."

Kakashi watched him unblinkingly for a few moment's, and Naruto knew the man didn't believe him. Eventually, the cyclops shinobi simply closed his book and walked off, calling over his shoulder, "As long as you don't ruin the mission, I'm cool... If you need some stress relief from that minty-haired girl of yours, then go right on ahead."

Naruto's eyes widened and he leaned forward as Kakashi entered his tent.

* * *

Hours later, the Naruto Shadow Clone hopped through the trees towards Takigakure as his master had ordered. He stopped at a large cliffside where a waterfall flowed off from the side.

"...Alright, gotta see if I can speak to Fuu... If I can remember how they let us in."

He sat there and pondered for a moment before a hand grabbed his shoulder and a voice sounded in his ear, "Yo, Naruto."

The clone jumped into the air, almost dispelling himself in fear as he turned around. Behind him stood 'Kakashi', a hand in his pocket as he waved. The clone gripped his heart in fear...until he remembered that he didn't have one.

"Kakashi!? Oh shit!?"

'Kakashi' held his hand up in surrender as the Naruto clone began throwing kunai and shuriken at him. The cyclops protested, "I'm just a clone! I'm not here to take you back!"

"I know! That's the whole point!"

Eventually, 'Kakashi' slipped up, finally being hit by one as he dispersed in smoke. The Naruto clone sweated and cursed, "Damn! The information's goin' back to him! I hope the boss doesn't get in trouble!"

"Naruto? Hey, Naruto! You finally came back to see me, huh!?"

Again, the clone was frightened as he turned around, directly into the hug of one green-haired Jinchuriki known as Fuu. He was being tossed around back and forward as he struggled to breathe.

"...I'm... Not... Real..."

Fuu blinked and frowned as she looked down at 'Naruto', and a sudden anger rose in her heart as she screamed, "You're just a clone!? You bastard! You're too scared to break up with me in person!"

'Naruto's' eyes narrowed in disbelief and he exclaimed, "I'm not here to break up with you! I'm no-"

Fuu personality did a complete one-eighty as she grabbed him and began kissing him all over as she coyly stated, "I knew you still loved me, Naruto!"

"Damnit, woman! Put me down! I need to see that Jinchuriki with you!"

The green-haired girl stopped and blinked as she narrowed her eyes, "...How do you know? No in the village even knows he's here, nor anyone from Akatsuki."

"I... I... Don't worry about that! I know he's here! Han, right? Lemme see him! It's really important!"

Fuu still continued to frown in suspicion, but switched expressions just as fast as before, cooing, "Aww... You know I can't refuse anything from you and that pouty face..."

"...I do not have a pouty face. Just let me in."

* * *

"Oi! Mr. Han! There's someone here to see you! It's the Jinchuriki I was telling you about, Naruto Uzumaki!"

'Naruto' walked into the small hut that Fuu resided in, searching around for the Jinchuriki. Eventually, he was surprised, as he didn't have to search for long.

"...What the hell kinda vegetables did your mom feed you?"

Sitting on the bed and covered in bandages was a large, tanned man. He turned and looked to the doorway as 'Naruto' entered, and raised an eyebrow as he was almost hit by Fuu for his rudeness.

"I'm not real! Don't dispel me!"

The man slowly stood to his feet, and 'Naruto' was mildly surprised as he watched the large man tower over him by a very significant amount.

"...You were searching for me? What do you wish to speak to me about...?"

The clone stared at the giant for a moment before shaking its head as he remembered his task.

"You have three students that ran away with you, right? Suzumebachi and her team?"

Han's eyes widened and he reached down to pick the boy up with his hand before the clone could realize it. The man quickly stated, "...Are my student's safe? Where are they now?"

"They're alive in Konoha... They were captured a few days ago by our ANBU, so she's probably locked up. I also discovered from her that Iwa sold you away for Akatuski's help."

The large man grunted as he dropped Naruto on his bottom. As the boy stood up, he turned to watch as the man walked over to his equipment and began to pack. Immediately, Fuu began protesting as she yelled, "Whoa! You're not gonna go barging into Konoha, are you!?"

"...I have to get my students... As the grandchildren of the Shodai Tsuchikage, I cannot let them die in a foreign country..."

Naruto held his hand out to stop the man as he continued to pack his items. He eventually informed him, "It's okay. I sent a message back to Konoha, so you can pick them up... No need to rampage through my village, eh, big guy?"

Han stared at the child before kicking him into the wall, watching as the boy dispersed into smoke. Fuu's jaws dropped as she yelled, "Why'd you do that!? I didn't get to give him my _special goodbye_!"

"...Someone from Konoha was listening outside... He's probably gone, but I was taking precautions just in case the boy gave away more intel."

* * *

"Bastard didn't have to kick me..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Naruto groaned and rubbed his stomach, "I didn't kick you, dumbass."

Naruto looked up as he was reminded of Sasuke being nearby. Shaking his head, he stomped on the tiny flame of the campfire as they packed to leave. Hyo looked over to his teammates as they finished and announced, "From hear, it's a straight path to the valley... Avoid any skirmishes on the way..."

He trailed off and pointedly stared at Naruto, who narrowed his eyes back at him. The ANBU said nothing and hopped to the treetops. The Uchiha shrugged as he looked to the blonde and jumped to the trees after him, followed by Naruto.

* * *

Naruto stared heavily at the large statue of Madara Uchiha, frowning as he glanced into the stone face. He snarled under his breath, "...I wish you'd have died when that guy kicked your ass the first time. Leave me the hell alone."

"Naruto, stop talking to the statue. We need you to open the seal."

Hopping from the statue's ankle, Naruto landed underneath the waterfall where the others walked underneath the soaking water. He followed them and entered through the waterfall, finding himself in a cave area full of markings and seals. In front of Naruto, Hyo motioned him to the other side of the small cave, where the Uzumaki swirl was etched into the wall.

"...Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha, huh...? Mito, Hashirama...and Madara."

Kakashi nodded, his book put away due to the seriousness of the situation. He looked at each individual seal and noted, "Mito Uzumaki was the creator of these seals... I've seen Lady Kushina design such intricate seals before..."

Sasuke walked over to Naruto, his Sharingan active as he studied the seals on the wall with him.

"...I don't understand any of this... Do these make sense to you?"

Naruto said nothing as he continued to study them. These seals were located in the room of Mito Uzumaki when he visited her, so he understood them much more than the others. The last seal under the Uzumaki seal stood out as quite familiar to Naruto. He narrowed his eyes as he leaned in to it and exclaimed, "That's-!"

"Isn't that the seal on your stomach? Does that mean that this seal is for Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto lifted the bottom of his flak jacket and shirt to stare at the seal, and sure enough, it was the same.

"That same seal is under the Senju wall as well."

At the sound of Yamato's voice, he moved over to him and looked over it.

"Yo... Yamato-sensei, I'm gonna have to ask you to move."

Yamato raised an eyebrow as he bit the tip of his thumb, causing it to bleed. Wiping it on that seal, he walked back to the Uzumaki and did the same. The Jonin blinked before stating, "Naruto, you're not a-"

"Sasuke, go to that seal over there. Do the same thing."

Without questioning, Sasuke walked over the seal and wiped his blood on it. As the blood touched the seal, the entire cave was lit up by a bright light, and everyone closed their eyes and covered their faces as they were blinded by it.

_...Come here... Enter..._

Naruto grunted as the bright light began to clear up, and an opening in front them, appearing to have been blocked by red energy. As the group gazed at the wondrous opening, Naruto was the first speak and said, "You all heard that, right? That voice?"

"...No. Naruto, stop acting weird."

They all continued to stare at it until they turned to each other, waiting to see who would enter first. Sasuke eventually volunteered Naruto by pushing him towards it and claiming, "You opened two-thirds of it and you're hearing voices. You go in first. Try not to die."

Apparently, the rest of the group agreed as they waited for Naruto to enter, and he turned around dryly commented, "You all suck... I hope you all die a horrible death."

"We're shinobi... We always die horrible deaths... Now shut up and go in."

Sighing in annoyance, Naruto stepped into the area, feeling a cool breeze as he stepped inside. As he entered, the chakra wall hardened, and he groaned as he tried to turn back.

"Damnit...! Now I'm stuck here!"

_Come here... Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails... Enter._

At the insistence of the voice, Naruto decided to delve deeper into the cavern, walking to the well-lit area at the end of the hallway.

_Closer._

Naruto grunted as the voice resonated in his mind, though he kept walking. Eventually arriving at the light, he noticed it was another sealed door. Biting his finger again, he wiped it onto the door, which simply faded out of view. He walked into the dim-lit room, where the candles lit up a pillow at the far wall. On top of the pillow, a man in red armor sat on the pillow, and Naruto's eyes widened as he realized the identity of the man.

"...You're... You're the... The Shodai Hokage?"

The man chuckled as he crossed his arms and legs.

* * *

As the boy entered the wall, Yamato panicked when the seal closed in on him, preventing them from following.

"Shit! Help me get this door open!"

As soon as Yamato screamed, Kakashi had already appeared next him with his Raikiri piercing through, though it had no effect. Sasuke had ran forward behind him as he quickly ran through seals and yelled, "Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Yamato and Kakashi had moved out of the way as the large fireball was absorbed into the wall. Cursing, Sasuke was about to move on to another attack, but Kakashi stopped him.

"It's no use... The wall isn't opening."

Behind them, Hyo watched on with indifference as Naruto was absorbed into the seal. When Sasuke turned back around in anger, he stopped as he looked to the ANBU.

"...What...? What the hell!?"

As soon as Sasuke yelled, both Kakashi and Yamato turned around and narrowed their eyes at Hyo. The ANBU stood still as blood soaked over his feet, and behind him, the bodies of the other teammates lay on the ground.

"...What did you just do?"

Hyo tilted his head as he asked, "What do you mean by 'what did I do'? I killed them, idiot."

He held his hand up, and the head of many shinobi began floating out of the water behind the waterfall. The ninja crawled out from the surface and stepped onto the rocky cave. They were dressed in dark clothing with a black flak jacket, and on their heads were headbands with sound notes.

"Shit! It was a setup!"

* * *

"...The First Hokage? Holy crap..."

Without a doubt, the man in front of him was Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and the man known as the "God of Shinobi". The Shodai chuckled as he shifted himself in the pillow to make himself comfortable.

"Hahaha...! Don't get too bent out of shape... I'm not a zombie or anything..."

Considering Madara was still up and running, Naruto was still just as frightened. The man stop laughing as he motioned for Naruto to step forward.

"If you are here, then you must be the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails... My lovely Mito did design this seal when I sealed the Kyubi in her."

Naruto frowned as the man mentioned sealing Kurama inside of Mito and asked, "So you're not real? You're only a seal?"

"...Yep. Mito initially had trouble controlling the Nine-Tails, so I had to stay by her side constantly. As such, for the future generations, she filled this crystal...," he stated and gestured to his neck, where a crystal rested there and continued, "...with my chakra and consciousness... That way, I can quell the Biju for them, and allow them to access better control of it."

Naruto stood in awe as the man finished talking. Regardless of what he just said, he's still gonna brag to everyone in Konoha that he saw the Shodai Hokage in person.

"...So what was with the Uchiha seal outside? If this was for the Senju and Uzumaki future generations, why was an Uchiha needed?"

Even though the Hashirama Seal's expression didn't change, Naruto could detect a hint of sadness in his tone when he answered with, "...I wanted to see if the Uchiha's stayed true and loyal to the village... Since you made it in, I presume the Uchiha with you is a friend?"

"...Kind of a dick, but yeah, he's cool..."

The seal laughed as he leaned on his knee and commented, "That's good... Best you keep that friend close... Imagine having to fight him to the death here at this waterfall, where he's thrown away every bond you held with him over love..."

"...Tch, screw trying to save him... I'd just kick his ass and bring him back... If anyone abandons what they believe in, they deserve it."

A solemn smile appeared on the Hashirama Seal's face as he shook his head and answered, "That decision's not as easy as it sounds... Uh..."

The God of Shinobi trailed off as he scratched his cheek and turned away. While Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, he suddenly realized that he never introduced himself and filled in Hashirama's blank.

"It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Upon hearing the boy's last name, the man's expression turned to one of haughty joy as he exclaimed, "...Ahh! So you're from Mito's clan! Looking at your hair, you're probably Tobirama's... Knew he'd get it in with one of the Uzumaki's! I told him to get that stick out of his ass and place it somewhere el-!

"Whoa! Whoa! Stop that, I'm only fourteen! I'm already trying to convince my surrogate mother I'm not having babies anytime soon, so I don't need the Shodai telling me about chicks either!"

_'The hell's with this guy? His wife's weird, and so is he... No wonder they're so compatible, though I gotta admit that I didn't expect the First to act like this.'_

The seal blinked as he stared at the boy, though he eventually settled down and replied, "Yeah, shouldn't corrupt your mind too much... Mito would kill me...again... if she knew, especially considering what happened with Kawarama and Itama..."

"...Granny Mito probably wouldn't... When I met her, she was kinda strict."

Hashirama's notably sat up as he leaned in closer to Naruto and asked, "You've met her!? Is she still alive!?"

Naruto shook his head and replied, "No... She's attached to Kurama's seal... She only appears when my hatred gets too out of control, since the opposite is the key to controlling the fox."

The man smiled as he mumbled to himself, "So you finally did it, Mito... I'm glad..."

"So... Why did you seal the fox in Granny Mito? Thanks to you, my Mom and I were subjected to loads of crap dealing with this ungrateful bastard."

Snapping out of his musing, the seal turned to Naruto as he asked his question. He closed his eyes as his head fell over and he sighed, "She told me to... So I did... Due to her insistence, I created the second Jinchuriki."

Naruto's eyes widened and he inquired, "Second? Who was the first?"

"Do you know anything about legends? The Sage of the Sixth Paths... The man who sealed the Ten-Tails inside of himself to save the world."

The teenager was confused, and he voiced his confusions out loud as he commented, "There's a Biju above Kurama? I thought it stopped at nine tails!"

"...The Nine-Tails and all the other separated Biju are were born from the Jubi... He separated them upon his death bed and sent them all over the world..."

Naruto nodded as he realized that fact. It also answered the question of Akatsuki's insistence on taking the Jinchuriki... Utakata was captured, along with them chasing the others to help create one sole monster.

"...So the other countries took them and sealed them away?"

The Hashirama Seal shook his head as he answered, "...No... I wanted to create a balance of power through the continent... So I assigned them to other villages, defining the creation of Jinchuriki as powerhouses for their countries."

Naruto paused, and he slowly blinked as the word "powerhouses" flashed inside of his mind multiple times... Everything wrong with the world of today came back to this man... The reason that the countries believe they "own" the Jinchuriki... The reason that the nations view them as weapons... The reason that Akatsuki chased them down was sitting on a cushion in front of him, just as calm and serene as if he were innocent.

The Hashirama Seal sat patiently as he watched the Nine-Tails influence began to appear on the boy. Naruto's fangs were bared as his teeth grind together. He struggled to contain his anger, and the man knew it was only a matter of time before he exploded.

"...You... You're the reason... You're the reason that we Jinchuriki suffer from such scrutiny and prosecution!? Damn you!"

Hashirama watched as the boy placed his hands in a seal, and sighed as he waited.

"...Hate me if you want to... Detest me... But before you do, listen to my story first... then I'll allow you take your hatred out on me."

* * *

Trivia:

-Both Kakashi and Yamato created clones to follow Naruto. Kakashi's let himself get caught while Yamato's kept following him.

-Hyo is an actual character from the Naruto canon, and he's an ANBU for Danzo. You can check the Naruto Wikia.


	24. Bonds of Darkness

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

_I spoke to you earlier about your friend...and that you should keep that friend as close as you can... That's because mine deserted me... I failed him, and he lost himself to the darkness..._

_ My friend, Madara Uchiha, left the village... He was so easily able to discard and abandon the dream we had finally achieved... Our utopia._

_ The rest of the world, however, celebrated what we had accomplished and slowly began implementing our blueprint for constructing a shinobi village. After all, if the Uchiha and Senju could co-exist peacefully despite their long, sorted history with one another, then all the remaining shinobi clans had no excuses but to at least try in kind._

_ The dream that Madara and I had prattled on about in our youths...had finally come full circle. The offspring of shinobi no longer had to bloody their own hands... They simply studied and carried on care-free... as kids should... They were able to live long enough to enjoy the wonders and horrors of alcohol..._

_ In the meantime,as if driven with the sole purpose of tearing down what we had worked so hard to build... Madara kept besieging Konoha..._

_ "Chojo Kebetsu!"_

_ Madara stared in awe as the massive being that was summoned by Hashirama utterly obliterated the Susanoo surrounding the Kyubi. He grimaced as the hand of the wooden fiend reached out and grabbed the Nine-Tails._

_ "It's my turn! Kakuen Nitten Suiishu!"_

_ With a marked, outstretched hand, the Nine-Tails was subjugated by the Hokage's powers, and Madara watched as the fiend moved to attack him. He dodged out of the way as he lost graps of the Kyubi, and cursed at the fact that Hashirama had took his greatest weapons._

_ "You'll pay for that, Hashirama..."_

_ The battle continued far into the night, and before long, the tired shinobi glared at each other under the gleaming moonlight._

_ As Madara stared at the torn Hashirama, he smirked viciously and taunted, "This time... You won't be getting to the other side..."_

_ At the last words spoken, the two charged at each other, blades and weapons held out as they moved for one last clash. As the two swept through each other, Madara stood still as if he weren't affected... and the Hokage fell faceward into the ground. Upon this position, Madara commented, "Looks like the tables have turned... I'm the last man standing this time..."_

_ Hashirama groaned as he moved to his feet and replied, "Now that we've finally attained our __dream... I won't let anything stand in my way..."_

_ Madara tiredly smirked as he turned around and pointed out, "You seem rather distraught, Hashirama... This time, however, I won't be sharing any wise words of wisdom with you..."_

_ Hashirama closed his eyes sadly as many instances with Madara appeared in his mind. Madara was immediately surprised as a blade went through his chest, and he watched as the 'Hashirama' in front of him hardened into a wood clone._

_ "When...did you...maneuver...behind my back...?"_

_ The Hokage ignored the question as he tightened his grip on the blade. As Madara continued to struggle with his breathing, Hashirama finally stated, "I still hold steadfast to the notion that...having the best interests of the village as a whole...benefits all those who settle within it..."_

_ Dropping a hand to his sides, he continued, "I will do anything and everything to protect our...no...__**my village**__. No matter the obstacle in my way... I won't hesitate to __**strike them down**__. If anyone dares try and disturb that harmony...whether it be my own offspring...family...or someone I consider a brother..."_

_ As Madara slipped from his blade, falling to the ground, he commented, "You've finally...grown a pair...Hashirama..."_

_ The Uchiha fell to his knees, coughing and hacking as he continued, "Remember this... You're putting the cart before the horse... Your vision...will only lead to darkness... And...one day...It'll consume your beloved village..."_

_ Hashirama watched as the rain came down upon Madara's death. He looked down at him one last time as he too keeled over. He fell next to Madara, staring at his corpse face-to-face as he black out..._

* * *

_ He groaned as he felt himself being shaken awake. As he moved, he noticed the lack of puddles and wondered how long he had been out._

_ "Hashirama... Hashirama, are you okay?"_

_ The man being addressed woke as the feminine voice called to him, and he locked gazes with the dark-eyed woman. Her short, red hair flowed as she turned to the other occupant in the area and screamed, "He's awake! He's awake!" and pulled him into a hug as she cried into his shoulder, "Thank the heavens you've awoken, Hashirama..."_

_ The man made no move to answer as he looked towards the body of his former friend... A blank, hollow feeling filled deep inside his chest, and it tightened as he watched his brother walk up to him._

_ "...You've done the right thing, Hashirama... There is no need to feel sorrow."_

_ Mito Uzumaki wrapped her lover's arm around her shoulders as she helped him stand. After shrugging her hands away, Hashirama limped over to the body of Madara and stared down at him._

_ "Hashirama, we have to go... The village has been worried about your absence the past few days."_

_ Mito Uzumaki frowned and pinched Tobirama tightly on the neck, causing him to cry out, "Mercy! Mercy!"_

_ "...That was his friend, Tobirama... Allow him his time to grieve."_

_ She and Tobirama watched as the Hokage crouched over to gather Madara into his arms. He turned towards the recently created waterfall and slowly began to walk towards, nearly tripping over his own feet as he moved closer to it._

_ "Madara... Don't worry... I have dreams enough for the both of us... I won't fail the village... Like I've done you..."_

_ Tobirama and Mito rushed towards the waterfall and entered behind Hashirama as he set down the body of his friend and brought up his finger. The wall in front of him exploded, and he carried Madara to the crafted tomb, sealing him away as he moved back to his wife and brother._

_ "...We can go back now... I'm done here..."_

* * *

_ Mito watched her husband work day and night on keeping his village top notch, but even she understood that every action made by him carried a small amount of depression. The Hashirama that she was arranged to marry was a completely different man now. _

_ When she knocked on his office door, she was completely unsurprised as Tobirama opened door, holding her with a small glare before letting her in. Pushing him away lightly with her hand, she elegantly stepped into the office with her husband, who simply gazed out to the village through the window._

_ She watched with an expression of sadness, as he had been doing that a lot lately. Apparently, he had no idea she was in the office, as when she tapped on his shoulder, he jumped a foot into the air and twisted on his heel in fear._

_ "No! Tobirama, I swear I was... Oh... It's my wife... Tobirama, leave the room."_

_ The white haired man narrowed his eyes and said, "No. I have to stay and make sure you finish the work... Anything you discuss with your wife can be said in my presence."_

_ "...Not everything. Tobirama, go away... I''m not responsible for what you will see."_

_ Mito sighed exasperatedly as she realized what her husband was referring to, though she knew his brother had not caught on._

_ "Hashirama, seriously, stop teasing your brother... And I didn't come up here for that."_

_ The Hokage shrugged slyly as he held Mito closer and whispered, "You know, I've been having __dreams about... uhh... "fun times"... in this office... I think that'll be quite the party, don't ya think?"_

_ "...Stop seducing your wife in front of me."_

_ Hashirama frowned as he looked to his brother and exclaimed, "I told you to leave! Now...because you have not heeded my warning, you shall be forced to gaze upon the visual wrath of my dic-!"_

_ Disgusted with her husband, she kicked him in the ankle before he could finish as she growled, "I'm not here for a sex call, idiot. I'm here because I've been receiving messages meant for you... They're referring the Nine-Tails that you allowed free on the country side... along with the other beast roaming free... They've been asking for your help in controlling them."_

_ Tobirama crossed his arms and leaned back on the desk as he commented, "What a coincidence... We were just talking about that. Considering he won't listen to me, maybe you stand a better chance."_

_ As Mito looked back to her husband, she noticed him sitting in his chair, pouting as if he were depressed and she sighed, "...Do something about the Kyubi first, then we'll talk about 'office hours'..."_

_ At that point, the Hokage came back to life, and a large grin appeared on his face. Mito frowned, as her eldest son, Kawarama, usually shared the same look when he either did something great... or did something perverted._

_ However, Hashirama's grin did not last long as he became serious. As he leaned back into his chair, he finally revealed, "I had been thinking about that for a while... If I controlled them myself, Konoha will be under scrutiny from the others..."_

_ Tobirama groaned and interrupted, "We'll have the power, Hashirama... The village shall prosper under the protection of the beasts..."_

_ "Don't refer to them as beasts, Tobirama... They aren't weapons... They're sentient beings created by the God of Shinobi and should be respected as such!"_

_ The white-haired man jumped to his feet and yelled, "You think such power should be left unchecked!? You think that by handing them out, that you'll bring peace to the nations!? You're deluding yourself, Hashirama!"_

_ Usually when Tobirama screamed as his brother, he would become silent, and say nothing. Most of that changed sinced Madara died, and Mito flinched back a little as Hashirama leaped from his chair, sending it soaring over Mito's head as she ducked, and roared, "You want my village to become a dictatorship, Tobirama!? Is that it? You want our village to rule the nation like some god!? What happened to democracy, Tobirama!?"_

_ "Hashirama, you speak nonsense! You want to give the villages power! You wan-"_

_ Hashirama released a very strong burst of killing intent, and Tobirama and Mito succumb to its pressure immediately as he interrupted, "I want to give this world a chance to prosper! This is a time of peace, not war, Tobirama!"_

_ "Both of you! Stop it!"_

_ Both of the Senju brothers calmed down as Mito yelled and interrupted the fight. As she panted to regain the feeling of being alive, no thanks to her husband's killing intent, she finally turned back to her husband and asked, "...What do you plan on doing?"_

_ "...Letting them roam free is a bad idea, but I really don't want the world to fear us as a terrorist village... The best way to prevent a worldwide assault against Konoha would be to split them up among the villages... That way, if war breaks out, it won't be one-side, and the villages would still have a chance to rebuild..."_

_ As Tobirama moved to speak, Mito glared at him to keep him quiet as Hashirama continued, "...I'll do as the Rikudo Sennin has done... Divide the power among the country to weaken one monster as a whole... I want to prevent Konoha from becoming that monster... I'll give the Biju to a chosen shinobi as a protector for their village..."_

_ "You... Brother, you aim to recreate Jinchuriki...?"_

_ Hashirama sighed and nodded, and Tobirama's head fell back against the wall in disbelief. Mito frowned as she realized what he hand been pondering._

_ "...Are you planning on using yourself, Hashirama?"_

_ The Hokage shook his head as he stared out the window. Following his gaze, she watched as her son flirted with one of the Yamanaka clan females, and her eyes widened as she punched him in the arm._

_ "There is no way in hell am I going to let you ruin our son!"_

_ Hashirama was quick to explain, "I don't want to... But I'm giving my son this power so he can protect the village! I'm not making him a weapon!"_

_ "Then use me! I won't allow you to corrupt my child, so use me!"_

* * *

"...Afterwards, I sealed it away in her... It was during those moments that I realized... In order to mold the present into the future I envisioned...I would have to make painful sacrifices..."

Naruto stared blankly at the man as he spoke, an unemotional gaze hiding his feelings. The Hashirama Seal's eyes were downcast as the past came back to him.

"...So yes... It is my fault that the Jinchuriki became weapons of mass destruction... And sadly, I died before I could reverse that error, and Mito and the other Jinchuriki had to live with my mistake... The future Madara and I had spent countless hours discussing...was one that would bring clans closer together... An indispensable pillar in turning what had been total anarchy into a semblance of order. A future where a child no longer had to spill blood... A future with no more petty disagreements... A future governed by peace..."

Hashirama sighed as he placed his cheek into his palm and continued, "That's not to say...there was no merit in Madara's final words... You could even go so far as to say Madara was a prophet... Perhaps he knew that outcome would be unavoidable... Regardless, I am the one who allowed and fostered the conditions that led to things unfolding the way they did..."

As he finished, he looked back to the boy in front of him, waiting for his reaction. However, Naruto's expression made no change. As they sat in silence for a few moments, Naruto finally commented, "...So you created these weapons... To become protectors of peace...?"

"...Essentially. A small part of me felt that the countries would misuse them, but the naïve Hokage that you see before you overestimated the human heart... I've failed in that mission..."

Naruto shook his head and claimed, "...You didn't... I understand what you were doing... Not wanting to rule the world, but keep it peaceful... Being unable to seal them away, you gave to the villages in good faith... I still think you're an idiot for doing that, but I see now that it wasn't what you intended."

The Hokage nodded and reached around his neck to unclasp his necklace. He held it out to Naruto who gazed upon its sparkling beauty. The only thing flashing from Naruto's eyes were cash symbols, and the Shodai flicked it towards Naruto's face, tapping him in the forehead and causing him yelp, "Ow! What was that for!?"

"...You feel quite strongly about the Jinchuriki... Do you plan on saving them?"

The boy nodded as he rubbed his sore head. Hashirama continued with, "Then start by never wavering and standing firm by your convictions... Then you attain unmatched strength and power... No one will follow a weakling..."

Naruto watched as the blue crystal was dropped into his hand, fading to a shallow crimson as he rolled it between his fingers.

"...As much as it has pained the future... I truly believe my actions were for the greater good... Because I realized that...we shinobi are beings that must make impossible choices in order to achieve our dreams... And depending on the nature of the dream you chase after... You have no choice...but to change to accommodate those dreams... Just like Madara and I had to..."

* * *

"I got you in my sights!"

Hyo jumped as he dodged the large fireball from the Uchiha. Sliding along the ground, the ANBU reached under his cloak as he drew his tanto, charging towards Sasuke as his feet touched the ground.

"You're finished."

Sasuke growled, "Not a chance!" and held his left hand out as sparks danced along his fingertips. Flexing them one last time, a burst of electricity rose from his hand, creating a blade of lightning. Hyo frowned behind his mask and quickened his movements. Raising his blade up, he prepared himself for the unavoidable clash between the two.

"Chidori!"

Before his blade made contact with the chirping lightning, a burst of wind swirled around his blade, and he yelled, "Futon! Shinkujin!"

_'A wind release!? Shit! I don't have time to move!'_

The lightning blade and the wind blade collided into an explosion, destroying most of the entrance to the cave. As Kakashi fended off his opponent, he yelled over to Sasuke, "Move your battle outside! If we battle here, the cave will collapse, trapping us and Naruto here!"

Look down at his shredded left arm, Sasuke had to agree, and ran as Hyo attempted to slash him.

"I'm not letting you escape, boy."

Sasuke ran to the entrance and rolled through the falling water to the valley, Hyo right behind him. Hyo raised his hand once more, and the Oto Jonin in battle with Kakashi and Yamato appeared from the water, still doing battle.

_'At first, they fought without a care... Why did he make them all retreat outside...?'_

"Doton... Iwayada Kuzushi..."

Kakashi's eyes widened and he cursed as he ran back towards the waterfall.

"No! He's going to block Naruto inside!"

The entrance to the cave collapsed as tons of boulders and debris fell from the ceiling, completely sealing off the entrance and the exit.

"...No... No... Naruto's not... He isn't..."

Sasuke stared at the pile of boulders in complete disbelief, but had no time to grieve as Hyo's blade was back on him.

"...Don't let your guard down, Uchiha. Accept the boy's fate, or die like him."

As Sasuke repeatedly dodged the blade, his mind kept repeating the same mantra continuously.

_...He's gone..._

"You seem to be troubled... You're useless at this rate... I can't fathom why the master would be interested in you..."

_...Where's the Kyubi...? Where is the Kyubi when you need him...!?_

Hyo continued to taunt Sasuke as he cut him across his chest, causing him to slip back.

"...You've lost, Uchiha... You are not worthy of your own Sharingan... Hand it over..."

* * *

_"Enough!"_

_ A young blond, dressed in an orange jacket and shorts over a black shirt, glared angrily at the kid in front of him. The dark-haired boy across from him did the same as they growled at each other. The boy wore a dark, long-sleeved shirt with white shorts. Their black-haired, red-eyed sensei moved between them as she held them both with outstretched hands, keeping them from charging the other._

_ "You spoiled little-!"_

_ The dark-haired boy roared, "What do you know!? You don't know a thing about family, so how can you judge me, Uzumaki!?"_

_ Kurenai Yuhi sighed as she two boys pathetically tried to move from her grasp. After moments of more screaming, she pushed them both away, forcing them on their backs._

_ "You two will stop this instance! If I catch another fight from you two, kiss your academy lives goodbye! Now both of you will reconcile immediately! Perform the seal!"_

_ The Uzumaki shrugged his oversized jacket further on his shoulders as he shoved his hands in his pocket and walked away._

_ "No. He isn't worth my time."_

_ The dark-haired child screamed out, "You're not worth mine!"_

_ The Uzumaki gave a vulgar gesture over his shoulder as he walked away, leaving the other boy to seethe in silent anger._

* * *

_ "Sasuke, why are you so upset?"_

_ Mikoto Uchiha sat in front of her angry son as he fumbled around with his food. With his chopsticks, he poked and jabbed angrily at his dinner as he cursed that kid under his breath. Upon hearing his mother's voice, he flinched is his seat, and began rubbing his head in embarrassment as he blushed and replied, "Oh! Hehe... It's nothing..."_

_ "...Then why do you keep cursing 'that Uzumaki fucker'?"_

_ He awkwardly scratched his cheek as he looked around the kitchen, searching for anything to divert his mother's attention._

_ "Yo, Sasuke... Mother."_

_ 'Bingo!'_

_ Sasuke grinned and ran up to his brother, dressed in his trademarked ANBU uniform. Sasuke __grinned as he ran to his brother's leg, hugging him as he cheered, "Yay! The future Hokage's back, Mother!"_

_ Mikoto laughed as Itachi picked his little brother up and placed him back into his seat at the table and then sat down next to him._

_ "...So how are you doing, Itachi? Work hasn't been getting to you, has it?"_

_ Itachi shook his head and answered, "One of my ANBU teammates is handling the paperwork for now... I don't officially receive the title until two more years."_

_ Mikoto nodded as she placed a dish in front of Itachi, who said a silent prayer before he began to eat. He looked over to Sasuke as he happily munched on his food and commented, "You look too happy... I went to the academy, and nothing at that place has made me smile like that."_

_ "Funnily enough, he wasn't... He was angry until you showed up, and I was trying to figure out."_

_ Swallowing his next bite, he looked over to Sasuke as the boy shrunk in his seat._

_ "...What's got you down, champ? What happened?"_

_ Sasuke pouted angrily as he crossed his arms and turned away, only answering at his mother persistent glare._

_ "...I got in a fight with a kid at school..."_

_ Itachi retrieved a napkin and wiped his mouth as he replied, "No shit. I can see the marks under your eye... You can't hide that... Who'd you get in a fight with?"_

_ "...Naruto Uzumaki, the biggest asshole of the century."_

_ Sasuke groaned as his mother tossed a chopstick at his head and chastised Sasuke for his choice of words. Itachi dropped his utensils into his clean bowl as he said, "...I'm sure he's having a lot of trouble... Being alone with no family"_

_ "I know! He keeps calling me spoiled when he doesn't have shi- I mean anything!"_

_ Raising an eyebrow at his choice of words, Itachi sighed and commented, "You should try being a little nicer to him... Last I saw of him, he didn't have that many friends..."_

_ "And with his attitude, he's never gonna have any!"_

* * *

_ Konoha was feeling particularly wet that day, as it rained for most of it. Naruto solemnly glanced down at the Memorial Stone, particularly at the name "Hiruzen Sarutobi"._

_ "...Old Man... I guess I probably disappointed you today... I got in another fight with Sasuke... I don't try to, but the way he acts pisses me off... He's popular with the people at school, and they seem __to like him... But he constantly bitches about losing his family... You were the only person I considered family, and now I have nothing... No friends... No purpose... The only thing keeping me going is hatred."_

_ As he pulled up the hood of his jacket and looked towards the thundering sky, he sighed and stated, "Old Man... I know that probably makes you angry... You've always told me that I'd become a great ninja, and that everyone in Konoha would one day respect my name when I became Hokage..."_

_ He reached behind him, pulling out the bouquet of flowers he bought from the Yamanaka shop and placed it on the stone._

_ "...But... My name no longer matters... I'm no one... I don't want to be anyone... This world is completely worthless... There is nothing left in it but misery..."_

_ Naruto turned away and walked off, his last words to Sarutobi being left in the air..._

_ "...Old Man, this, all of this...this entire world... I don't care about it anymore..."_

* * *

_ The next day, the kids in the classroom sat impatiently as they waited for Kurenai-sensei to walked through the door._

_ "Man, she's so hot... Once I become a ninja, I'm gonna marry her!"_

_ Another boy shouted, "In your dreams, loser!"_

_ Sasuke felt out of place as he listened to the boys argue. Sure, she's pretty enough, but he wasn't that big of a pervert like the rest of his class. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Naruto leaned back in his feet, placing his feet on the desk as if he had no care in the world. He frowned and turned back to the front of the class._

_ 'There's nothing cool about him... Him becoming Hokage is one ridiculous joke...'_

_ "...While I appreciate the compliments, maybe you should think about bringing your grade up before you start thinking about asking me on a date._

_ The boys were completely embarrassed as they looked to the ceiling. Kurenai had stood there, as if she had been there the entire time as she listened to the many conversations going on below her. She gracefully flipped to the front of the class as the children stared in awe._

_ "...That was called 'Wall Walking', and we'll begin today outside, if you will... You will all partner up with someone, and compete to make it to the top before the other."_

_ Murmurs rattled through the room as the children began calling out there friends to partner with them. Sasuke blushed in embarrassment as most of the girls in the room ran straight to his desk to ask him to partner with them. He attempted to wave them back as they crowded his desk and he stammered, "...Uh... Girls! I...Uh..."_

_ "Sasuke, pick me!"_

_ "I wanna partner with Sasuke!"_

_ "Sasuke, you should lemme be your partner!"_

_ Looking for a way out, he looked around the room as he noticed Naruto, who haven't moved a muscle since the teacher gave the order. Noticing Kurenai walking over to him, most likely reprimanding him for not showing initiative, he quickly maneuvered around the girls and ran to him. The Uzumaki fell out of his seat in surprise as his biggest rival appeared in front him._

_ "...Be my partner."_

_ Naruto frowned and stood from the ground, shaking his fist as he began to scream, "Don't order me, you little-"_

_ "Shut up and partner with me... You get out of trouble with Kurenai and I get those girls of my back."_

_ Naruto narrowed his eyes as he attempted to find a flaw in his plan, but sighed and nodded._

* * *

_ After hours of running up and down the walls, the children left the academy with bruises all over their bodies. As Sasuke walked past a crowd of children with their parents, he noticed his mother waving to him from the other side of the clearing, and he cheerfully ran over to her._

_ "Mother!"_

_ Mikoto laughed as he jumped into her arms, and she swung him around as she gently set him down. He finally looked next to her, noticing his brother standing in the Uchiha clan robes._

_ "Got away from politcal training for a bit. Decided to come by and pick you up from the academy."_

_ "Brother!"_

_ Instead of emulating his mother, Itachi held his hand out and stopped the boy in his tracks, allowing him to drop to the ground._

_ "Don't touch... I don't want your sweat on it."_

_ Sasuke frowned and turned away as his brother laughed. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed his blonde rival walking away from the happy families. Turning back to his relatives, hoping they didn't see, he cursed under his breath again as his mother held her hands over her eyes as she tried to see._

_ "Isn't that Naruto? Naruto Uzumaki?"_

_ Sasuke vehemently denied, "No. You're just seeing things... Let's go home."_

_ "No... I think that's him."_

_ Cursing his brother mentally, he shrunk under the pressure of both of their gazes. Mikoto crouched down to become eye-level with him said as she commented, "He looks pretty lonely... I feel so sorry for him... His parents dead... His grandfather-like figure dead..."_

_ "I don't... He can go die in a ditch for all I care..."_

_ Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the scruff of his collar and tossed him towards Naruto, "Go ask him if he wants to come to dinner... Have yourself a play-date."_

_ "What!? Hell no! I don't want-"_

_ His mother interrupted by clapping as she bounced up and down and exclaimed, "Itachi! That's a great idea! Sasuke, go invite him for dinner!"_

_ "But... But... But Mom..."_

_ His mother growled, "Don't give me that. Go invite him."_

_ Staring between to the two as they glared at him expectantly, he sighed and committed himself to popularity assassination... Rushing towards the Uzumaki before he left their sights._

_ "Oi! Assho- I mean, Naruto!"_

_ The blonde stopped in the road, but didn't turn around. As Sasuke neared him, the blonde turned and lashed out with his fists towards the Uchiha, whose eyes widened as he watched the incoming fist._

_ "...I thought you would have had enough, Uchih-!"_

_ Naruto froze as a hand grabbed his own, and he stared into into a face similar to the one he was about to ruin. Mikoto Uchiha grabbed his hand and patted it with her other._

_ "Hello, there! You must be Naruto Uzumaki!"_

_ The boy stared fearfully at the older woman as he struggled to remove her from his hand. She gripped on tightly as she continued to smile._

_ "...I'm Sasuke's mother... You may call me Mikot if you wish... As Sasuke's friend, I would like to ask if you would join us for dinner..."_

_ Naruto stared at the woman in confusion as he repeatedly blinked. Sasuke mouthed, "Say no!" to him before he was picked up by Itachi. Without waiting for an answer, Mikoto squeezed his hand tightly and dragged him away to the Uchiha compound._

* * *

_ "...Are you trying to fatten me up before you molest me...?"_

_ Mikoto laughed as she placed another bowl in front him, which, like his first one, he stared at it __skeptically before raising his chopsticks to try the soup._

_ "No one's trying to harm you, Naruto... I just think that Sasuke would be much happier if he brought home more friends! There's nothing wrong with that, is it?"_

_ Naruto glanced over to Sasuke, who shook his head and made a slicing motion under his neck, mouthing, "You're gonna die later!" At the boy's anger, Naruto slowly smirked and nodded to the woman, "I think that's cool! Sasuke never invites me anywhere with him... Sometimes I think he's ashamed of being my friend._

_ Sasuke's jaw dropped as he moved to attack him, though he was held back by Itachi. Itachi sweated as he smiled embarrassingly and stated, "Sasuke's just excited...! He doesn't have that many friends, you know! You're welcome here anytime!"_

_ "What my son said!"_

_ While Naruto smiled on the outside, though on the inside, his mind raged when he finally recognized the older male holding Sasuke back._

_**It's his fault... He let him die, Naruto... Let me destroy him for you...**_

_Sasuke, angrily twisting and writhing in Itachi's arms, never saw the flashing of Naruto's eyes. Mikoto and Itachi's eyes widened as Mikoto nervously offered,__"You know... You should... You should stay here for tonight!"_

_ As Naruto's eyes flickered back and forward between the windows and the exits, he pondered upon which he should use first. Before he could, Mikoto blocked him off with her arms as she appeared behind him, wrapping them around his shoulders as she wiped his face off with a napkin._

_ Naruto, frightened beyond all belief, flinched away as she placed the object on his lips to wipe away the soup._

_ "You're really jumpy, huh? I'm not trying to kill you, silly! Just lemme take care of this last mark... and... there! Sasuke, show him to your room._

* * *

_ "...Dude... I know you hate me, and I hate you more, but I need your help to get out of here... I think your mom's trying to rape me."_

_ Sasuke frowned as he reached for the extra mattress. Placing it on the ground, he stated, "She always acts like that... Just try to avoid her from now on."_

_ Naruto narrowed his eyes as he heard fumbling outside of his rival's door, and looked to Sasuke as he pleaded, "Please get me out of here! I beg of you!"_

_ "...No can do... If I let you go, they're gonna come after me... You can sneak out on your own after midnight."_

_ Sasuke moved over to his bed and jumped on it, rolling over to face away from Naruto. The blonde looked over to him and then back to the mattress._

_ "...Maybe I'll be alright in the morning..."_

* * *

_ When Sasuke woke to go to the bathroom, he sighed when he noticed the empty sheets on the other side of his room._

_ "...I guess he did escape... Wish he would've closed the window back..."_

_ Walking to the window, he frowned as he noticed that it was still dark outside, realizing that it was probably midnight. He watched as a flash of orange disappeared over a rooftop, followed by a number of other silhouettes._

_ "...Is he being chased?"_

_ Putting on his shinobi sandals, he hopped out of his window and followed the shadows over the rooftops to the training ground._

* * *

_ "The line ends here for you, Uzumaki... The old man isn't here to save you anymore..."_

_ Naruto frowned as the dark, cloaked shinobi surrounded him, and he looked around as he knew he couldn't run anymore._

_ '...I didn't plan on seeing you yet, Old Man, but it doesn't look like I've been given a choice...'_

_ Reaching in his pocket for a kunai, as he wasn't going down without a fight, a voice and intense blast of heat alerted the ninja to another presence._

_ "Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!"_

_ The ANBU all split away from each other as the fireball came between them, and they landed on the other side of the clearing. Naruto looked over as Sasuke landed next to him, his own kunai out as he prepared to fight. Naruto snarled, "What are you doing here?"_

_ "...I think I just saved your ass... Stop complaining."_

_ Naruto sighed as he shook his head and replied, "Go back home to your family... This has nothing to do with you."_

_ "The brat is right, Uchiha... You should have stayed home... Now we can obtain the master's Sharingan and get rid of the Nine-Tails... Two birds with a stone."_

_ Naruto and Sasuke tensed up as the men eased their way closer to them, unsheathing their tanto as they did so. Eventually, the ninja rushed towards the children and Sasuke quickly went through hand-signs again as he shouted, "Katon! Gokakyu no Jutsu!"_

_ "That's not gonna work, idiot!"_

_ As they cleared through the smoke and flames, one of the shinobi found themselves unlucky as a kunai embedded itself in his mask, though it didn't pierce his skin._

_ "What a fail! Stupid kids pretending to be ninja! Didn't your mothers ev-?"_

_ He was cut off as he didn't notice the tag at the end of it, which exploded in his face. The other three ANBU stopped and looked at the destroyed corpse and the boy who killed him._

_ "Holy shit... Uzumaki, did you just kill him?"_

_ As Sasuke looked over to Naruto, his eyes widened as the blonde's features never changed from his angry look._

_ "...It's either kill or be killed... I don't feel like dying..."_

_ '...But that's awkward... These ninja are professionals... One shouldn't fall for something th-'_

_ His thoughts were cut off as a blade pierced through his back, right through his chest. The shinobi behind him grunted, "This one almost got me... I'll never underestimate a kid again."_

_ "...Naruto!"_

_ Sasuke ran to his classmate as he descended to the ground. Before he could reach him, one of the ninja appeared in front of him and punched him in the stomach, his breath leaving him as he fell to the ground._

_ "...Grab him... Lord Danzo will pleased that we've attained the Sharingan..."_

_ The fallen Uchiha stared towards the body of his rival, fear blurring his gaze as he waited for the boy to get back up... He always did after Sasuke punched him, so this should be nothing to him..._

_ "...Uzumaki...?"_

_ The body made no response as the ninja picked it up. The man behind Sasuke roughly grabbed him by the back of his neck, though Sasuke could barely tell... His mind was still in shock..._

_ ...He's gone..._

_ His mind blanked out, and he watched as the man walked away with the corpse haphazardly thrown over his shoulder._

_ ...You're not... Supposed to die... This... This isn't happening...!_

_ Sasuke was barely aware of the blood flowing from under his eye... Barely aware of the man's screams as he suddenly burst into black flames, or the fact that his mother and Itachi arrived at that moment, the Sharingan flashing in their eyes... Barely aware of his eyes changing for the first time... but not the last..._

* * *

Hyo was shocked as he found himself staring face to face with the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan as Sasuke's right eye began bleeding.

_"Naruto... No matter what happens, you keep that friend close to you..."_

"The... Mangekyo Sharingan...? Did the Nine-Tails brat trigger its awakening!?"

_ "...You mean Sasuke... I wouldn't worry about him turning out like Madara... He saved my life, even if I didn't want him to... He's cool."_

"These eyes... They see darkness clearly..."

Hyo was surprised as he accidentally locked eyes with the Uchiha, and a large, dark being grinned visciously behind him.

_"...Don't let him fall to darkness..."_


	25. Buried Beneath Roots

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

_ "...Seal it... Can't...about...it..."_

_ Sasuke groaned as he woke waking into a blurry, white room. Suddenly, two pairs of hands were all over his face, and the voice of one of the owners of the hands screamed, "Sasuke! Thank the heavens you've awoken!"_

_ The boy groaned as he looked into the eyes of his mother. Next to her was Itachi and another man dressed in the outfit of an ANBU._

_ "...Where... Where am I...?"_

_ Itachi sighed in relief as his brother leaned forward on the medical cot. He patted him on the head and answered, "The hospital. You took a number... Chakra exhaustion..."_

_ "...From what...? I only used two fireball Jutsu..."_

_ Mikoto and Itachi looked around awkwardly as the ANBU man spoke for them, "...The man holding you used a chakra absorption technique..."_

_ "...But I saw...fire... Dark fire..."_

_ Itachi waved him off, rubbing the back of his head as he exclaimed, "That was me, silly...! I just used my Mangekyo Sharingan to save you...!_

_ Sasuke looked over to his brother, but didn't question the out-of-place smile on his face. He simply leaned over into his mother's embrace as the group sat in silence. His mother had placed her hand under his thighs as she picked him up, motioning to the group to follow._

_ "...Don't worry, Sasuke... We're going home."_

* * *

_ The next day, Sasuke had returned to the academy. He entered the room and sat at his usual desk, where he was soon assaulted by his fan girls._

_ "Oh my gosh, Sasuke! I heard what happened!"_

_ "Are you alright, Sasuke!?"_

_ "If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you!"_

_ Sasuke sweatdropped as every one of the girls assault the last girl who spoke. Slowly, he moved away until he found himself next to Naruto._

_ "...Uchiha..."_

_ At the sound of his voice, Sasuke slowly turned his head to face the blonde. Once again, the boy's feet were posted on the desk and he sat back without a care in the world...as if he didn't come close to death days ago._

_ "You... You're not injured..."_

_ Naruto's eyes flickered towards his before closing, and he sighed, "I heal faster than others... I was nowhere close to dying, idiot."_

_ The Uchiha frowned as recalled, "The Nine-Tails...? That man said that...he could get rid of the Nine-Tails... and take my Sharingan..."_

_ The blonde's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and he blinked to bring back his neutral expression._

_ "So what...? You're now one of the few people who know about it."_

_ Sasuke frowned, but didn't say anything after that, and instead, turned his attention back to Kurenai-sensei as she entered._

* * *

_ "Sasuke!"_

_ The boy heard his mother calling him from the other side of the academy grounds. As he weaved through the boisterous crowd to get to her, his jaws dropped at the sight once he arrived._

_ The woman's hand was pressed against the back of a blonde head of hair, pushing him on the side of her hips as she called for Sasuke. Naruto's consistent struggling only served to support the fact that his mother was kidnapping him...again..._

_ "...Sasuke! Sasuke, come here! Look who's joining us for dinner again!"_

_ Sasuke sweatdropped as stared at the scene and commented, "Did you kidnap him again...?"_

_ "...No, Sasuke... Why would you say that...? He came by willingly, of course... He even asked me for training."_

_ Upon hearing his brother's voice, Sasuke turned around to stare directly at his brother, who began pushing him along. As Naruto finally was able to escape Mikoto's grasp, he ran directly into Itachi. As the older boy gripped his collar, Naruto began screaming,"What the hell are you doing...!? Why are you kidnapping me again...!? Leave me alone!"_

_ Itachi frowned as he held on to Naruto's collar tightly, drawling out, "Unless you a repeat of the other day, you'll come with us."_

* * *

_ Sasuke's feet padded along the wooden tiles of the Uchiha Compound as moved towards the personal training grounds. As he passed through the koi pond, he stopped when he noticed Naruto sitting at the edge of the porch._

_ "...I bet you enjoyed dinner."_

_ Naruto looked over his shoulder as Sasuke appeared and slightly chuckled, "She's a good cook... Though the kidnapping leaves much to desire..."_

_ Sasuke grunted as he leaned against the wall and watched the fish swim around the pond as Naruto did. After moments of silence, Sasuke asked, "Are you going to meet up with Itachi? He said he was going to train us..."_

_ "...I don't know... If more of those ANBU guys come after me, then I want to be able to fight back... But... Your brother..."_

_ Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto's comment, waiting for him to continue. When didn't, Sasuke inquired, "What's wrong with my brother...? I know he's an ass, but..."_

_Naruto said nothing as he stood up, looking at his watch. He motioned for Sasuke to follow him as he claimed, "I don't hate him... I just don't like change..."_

_ "...Where are you going?"_

_ Naruto looked over his shoulder as he walked away, calling out, "You've seen reality, you should be able to understand... No wish can become true in this world... That's why I'm taking the next step to become stronger... I want to build a world where heroes don't have to make pitiful excuses in front of graves."_

_ Sasuke stared at Naruto as he walked away until the blonde waved over his shoulder and asked, "You coming?"_

* * *

"Amaterasu!"

Hyo roared in pain as he was forced to surrender his left arm. As the black flames crept along his elbow, his tanto swiftly slashed through it as he retreated away from Sasuke. He took off through the trees as he cursed, "...Damn his eyes...! That cursed Mangekyo...! I have to escape...and report to Lord Danzo..."

"I'm not gonna let you get away!"

The tree next to him exploded into black flames, and his suddenly aware that he was being followed by the Uchiha and the two former ANBU.

_'They really live up to their names, huh...? Too bad for them... I don't have time.'_

The Root shinobi placed his single hand in a seal, and whispered the name of his Jutsu so the others couldn't hear. He landed on the ground and tapped his hand on a tree trunk before taking off to the tree tops.

_'The wind is blowing in a southern direction...so I need to head either east or west...'_

His decision was quickly made when a tree on his right burst into flames, and he dashed off to the west. Sasuke cursed as he quickly switched directions.

"This guy's fast! I can't get a good shot on him!"

Kakashi raised his hand as he motioned back to Yamato and called out, "He's moving in 'Rouge' formation... Yamato! Make a left here and ambush him!"

"Got it!"

As Yamato took off, Sasuke questioned, "'Rouge' formation?"

"..It's an ANBU escape pattern, designed in the scenario that your team is eliminated... Using normal clones with the Substitution Jutsu, it creates the illusion of after-images, causing it to seem as if he is moving faster than usual. Its use is to confuse enemies that are right behind you."

Kakashi paused as the man stopped at another trunk and tapped it. Dodging an incoming branch from his side, courtesy of Yamato, Hyo hopped into the air as the three closed in on him. Kakashi frowned as he attempted to form a connection between the tags.

_'What is he doing...?'_

Leaping into the air, he formed a seal and called out, "Futon! Fujin Rakkasan!" and the two seals activated, and a breeze of wind formed a protective windbag behind him.

"That's not gonna protect you, idiot! Chidori!"

As Sasuke dashed towards him with his lightning blade, Hyo kept his hands in his seal and commented, "...It's not supposed to."

Hyo pointed towards the ground, and the group looked down. The large windbag cast a gigantic shadow over the area between the two seals, and Kakashi realized it a moment too late as he shouted, "Crap! He's a Na-"

"Kagemane Genjutsu...! Kokuangyo!"

Sasuke, Kakashi, and Yamato watched as the shadows on the ground expanded over their heads, and they were unable to see anything. Hyo sat above and watched as the darkness surrounded them from all angles, and they were enclosed in it.

"...I guess your eyes _can_ see darkness clearly, huh, Sasuke?"

Chuckling slightly at his little joke, he made way to leave the area until his right arm exploded into gory chunks, splattering him and the tree with blood. From the sudden shock of pain, he collapsed on the branch. He finally noticed the red chakra blade next to him and watched it contract behind him, and he twisted on his heels to see Naruto a few trees over.

In Naruto's outstretched hand was the Konaha Chakra Blade, still covered in the remaining traces of Kurama's chakra. He sheathed it on his back as he sighed, "...So you were a liar this entire time... I shouldn't trust the words of masked people... They're always up to no good..."

Though he made no signs of it on the outside, Hyo was mentally panicking.

_'Did he... Did he learn to control the Nine-Tails!?'_

"Guess I'll end you now!"

Hyo flinched back as his former teammate appeared directly in front of him, his fist reared back. A small, white light appeared from his right shoulder, and crimson chakra swirled around his hands, becoming a drill shape.

"Time to rip it up!"

The ANBU watched the crimson drill near towards him, and he knew it was over.

_'...As much as I hate to fail in my mission... As a former teammate, I'm a little proud that you've managed to come so far... Just a little...'_

"Jujin Taijutsu Ogi! Tensoga!"

Before the drill could connect, a large, blue drill came soaring towards Naruto, and the crimson and blue drills connected in the air. Naruto's eyes widened as he was attacked by surprise, and he struggled to contain the large tunneling fang.

"What the hell!?"

Naruto felt the sleeve on his right arm rip and tear under the slicing vortex, and the drill pushed him back through a row of trees, shredding most of his arm in the process.

Hyo watched as an ANBU in a wolf mask appeared in front of him, and next to him was a large, gray dog. Two more ANBU appeared behind him, and the nearest one, wearing a plain mask, moved closer to him and spoke with a high-pitched feminine tone.

"We've come to retrieve you. Shiro, stand by for medical evacuation."

The ANBU behind her nodded and went through hand-seals, surrounding Hyo in a blue light. He looked over to her and stated, "We have to leave. The enemies have been released from the shadow binding... And the Uchiha is right behind us."

The female ANBU turned around as Sasuke came down at her with a kunai in his hand.

_'How did he know...!?'_

Sasuke slashed over her head as she disappeared from sight. His eyes widened as he tried to find her.

_'So fast...! The Sharingan couldn't track her!'_

"Konoha Shofu!"

She reappeared right under him, her foot snapping upwards for a kick. Eyes widened, his Mangekyo Sharingan flashed reflexively, and a violet, chakra ribcage appeared in front of him as her foot connected. The chakra ribs were shattered immediately as the powerful kick sent him flying to the sky.

_'That kick would've probably killed me if it had connected!'_

* * *

Seeing his teammates face the enemy, Shiro decided to pick up Hyo and run when Yamato and Kakashi appeared.

"Mokuton Hijutsu! Jukai Kotan!"

Shiro tripped over as a forest of half-dead trees appeared from the ground, knocking him to the ground and sending Hyo's body in front of him. The ANBU groaned as he stood, and he looked over to Hyo who sighed beneath his mask.

"There's no way you're going to be able to face Kakashi Hatake and Yamato while carrying me... I have nothing of interest to report and I'm completely useless without my arms... You might as well leave me behind."

Hyo stared blankly at the other shinobi as Shiro picked him up and said, "Lord Danzo still has use for you."

Right as Kakashi and Yamato entered the area, Shiro threw Hyo over his shoulder as they approached. Three Kakashi clones surrounded him and Yamato came down on him from above. He waited until they moved closer and suddenly began spinning at a rapid rate.

"Hakkesho Kaiten!"

All three of the Kakashi clones were blown away, and Yamato saved himself by stretching out a nearby branch. As the whirling winds dissipated, Kakashi noticed that the ANBU were gone.

* * *

"...You know, I still don't forgive you for that kunai, brat."

Naruto weakly stood as his right arm was nearly torn to shreds. He glared at the man as he walked towards him slowly, his dog growling next to him.

"Oi, Tsukimaru... Calm down, will ya? I'll let ya eat 'em up after I'm done..."

The man pulled out his sword as he walked closer to Naruto. The blonde slowly crawled away as he waited for Kurama to repair his arm. However, a female voice resonated through the clearing before the man could reach Naruto.

"Saiga. We're going back. Let's go."

'Saiga' growled, "Don't tell me what to do, bitch. I'm gonna kill this little shit before we go, Bara!"

As he swung his blade down at Naruto, who had secretly begun preparing a seal with his left hand, 'Bara' appeared in front of Saiga, her hand gripping the wrist of the wolf-masked ANBU.

"...I said we're leaving."

Naruto's eyes widened as he watched the woman appear directly in front of him.

_'I didn't see any Chakra nor Hand-seals... That... That speed was...completely natural... Who is she...?'_

The large dog growled at her, crouching in preparation to lunge, but was held back by its master.

"...Tch, let's go... I don't feel like arguing."

The man jumped towards the tree tops with his dog. Bara turned away, walking off slowly as Naruto called out, "H-Hey... I'm... I'm not done with you yet!"

She turned around, and Naruto regretted speaking when she appeared in front of him, grabbing him by his neck and slamming him against the tree. Naruto leaned back as she moved closer to his ear and whispered, "...You're just like him... Very much so... Sadly, that doesn't matter much to me anymore..."

"Naruto! You're still...!"

The teen in question looked over her shoulder to witness Sasuke, who limped into the field as he breathed in deeply.

"...I thought I had put you down... But no matter... I'll be sure to deal the killing blow to you later, Nine-Tails." she stated while jumped into the tree tops as Kakashi and Yamato entered the clearing.

"...She's gone..."

Sasuke slowly limped over to Naruto who fell back against the tree and punched him in the shoulder, right against his glowing tattoo. The other simply took the hit and groaned, too wounded to do anything about it. He slowly slid down the trunk of the tree to the base.

"I... thought... you were dead..."

Naruto's eyes flickered towards his before closing, and he sighed, "I have Kurama in my stomach... I was nowhere close to dying, idiot."

Sasuke weakly grinned and fell back against the tree as he slid down next to Naruto. Kakashi adopted a thinking pose as he went over the recent events.

"...Those ANBU were loyal to Danzo... They must be part of Root."

Yamato narrowed his eyes as he asked, "You sure? I thought Root had been disbanded..."

"Considering they were after Naruto and Sasuke, along with having the help of the Hidden Sound, I don't think it really matters whether they've been disbanded or not. Whatever it is, if Danzo is still in the Hidden Leaf, we gotta get back ASAP. For now, we'll rest here."

The rest of the group nodded, though the only thing Naruto could think about was the ANBU Root members.

_'...That woman was too fast... That man was too powerful... And Hyo's too smart for his own good... It's different... Fighting people who are actually trying to kill me instead of playing with me...'_

* * *

Deep below Konoha, Danzo walked along a platform as his two main guards, Fu and Torune, followed behind him. He paused when a member of Root appeared in front of him.

"What is it?"

The man bowed before speaking, "The mission to the Valley of the End ended in success. The Sound Shinobi were massacred and the team is heading towards Otogakure for medical procedures and to receive the mission scroll from Kumogakure. By that point, we can leave Konoha and head to the lands above Otogakure... 'Project Negakure' will begin shortly.

Danzo nodded and waved the man away, continuing his walk towards his destination.

_'You might have ruined it, Sarutobi, but I now have what I need to overthrow the Hokage... This village will rise to its necessary glory, as Tobirama-sensei had always wanted.'_

* * *

Trivia:

-New Jutsu used this chapter are:

Futon: Fujin Rakkasan - Wind Style: Wind God Parachute

(Creates a parachute of wind behind user. Hyo made two seals to for them to latch on to, creating a large parachute almost like a tent.)

Kagemane Genjutsu: Kokuangyo - Shadow Imitation Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness

(Like Bringer of Darkness Jutsu used by Tobirama and Hashirama, it covers an area in darkness. Since Hyo's real identity is a Nara(In this fiction), he used his shadow to block out the Konoha ninja's sight instead of capture.

Jujin Taijutsu Ogi: Tensoga - Man-Beast Ultimate Taijutsu: Heaven Twin Fang

(It's Kiba's Ultimate Ninja 5(Accel 2) special. If you've seen it, then you already know why Naruto's arm is screwed up.)

-Naruto's Tattoo and Drilling Arm Technique, along with his phrase ("Time to rip it up!"), is based off of Towa from Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 and 3. The Tattoo, along with the necklace from Hashirama, allows him to better control the Kyubi's chakra.

-According to the 4th Naruto Shippuden Movie, every Konoha ninja has a Chakra Blade. That is what he uses to conduct the Kyubi's chakra.

-The male Root ninja's names refer to their identities.

"Shiro" - White (Hyuga)

"Saiga" - Fang (Inuzuka)

-"Bara" is part OC-part Canon, due to the fact that her(or his, because the basis I'm using could be a boy) character that I designed her from is an actual character that has been seen, but is only shown on a picture.

-Negakure is "Village Hidden Under Roots. Him forming his own village is based off of Orochimaru doing the same.


	26. Interlude

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"...Report."

The Konoha Jonin bowed his head in the presence of the Hokage. He and his team were instructed to clear out Danzo's base.

"Sir! Danzo and his ANBU had long escaped! There is nothing left in the base!"

Itachi rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he was too late. He angrily dismissed the Jonin, and Komachi walked over to him and grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"...It's not your fault... There was no way you could have known about the traitor ANBU..."

The angry Uchiha shrugged her hand away as he stood, storming towards the door. Komachi sighed, but followed right behind him. She rushed to keep up with him as he mumbled to himself.

"...My little brother... He and Naruto almost died on my watch...and it's all my fault..."

* * *

"GGGAAAGGHHH! THAT HURTS, DAMNIT!"

The Medical Ninja sternly stared down at Naruto, who was trying to crawl away after she poked him with the first needle.

"...The Nine-Tails' Chakra can only do so much. It has stabilized your arm, but it's still burning it. I need to inject you to make sure your arm doesn't fall off!"

Naruto screamed and fell on the other side of the bed, crashing to the floor. The woman growled and ran around the edge as Naruto stood up and tried to run.

"Here I was, excited for the sexy nurse to thoroughly inspect me! I've changed my mind!"

As the Tokubetsu Jonin reached the door, He opened it to see the Uchiha family standing outside of his door. Sasuke, leaning on his crutches, waved a hand to Naruto and greeted, "Yo, Naruto... Glad to see y-"

"Move!"

Before Naruto could rush past Sasuke, the "Sexy Nurse" grabbed Naruto by his waist and pulled him and pack, repeatedly stabbing him in the arm with the needle as he cried out, "You're not injecting anything! You already did it the first time!"

"I know! This is payback, brat!"

Itachi watched in amusement as the medical ninja and Naruto struggled, and Mikoto ran to break the two up. The Hokage shook his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for his behavior, but I'm going to have to ask you to put the boy down."

The nurse suddenly realized that she was in the presence of the Hokage, and blushed as she dropped Naruto on his bad arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Mikoto helped him stand to his feet and walked him towards the door.

"...What do you want, Itachi?"

The Hokage motioned for him to follow him down the hall. As they began walking, Itachi finally said, "First, we're going home to eat... Then we can talk about that later."

* * *

Naruto burped loudly in satisfaction before collapsing further into his chair. Mikoto giggled beneath her hand and Sasuke looked at Naruto in disgust.

"...You've become too comfortable in this home, Naruto, to even think of doing something like that here."

Naruto kicked Sasuke's shin and shifted himself lazily in his seat, enjoying Sasuke's painful hiss. Itachi rolled his eyes and looked down at his watch.

"...He should have been here by now... Naruto, when you get the chance, check the hot-"

A loud crash sounded through the house, and Mikoto's eyes narrowed as she stood. Itachi sighed, and Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. A dark, evil glint appeared in her eyes as she stormed out of the room.

"...What was that?"

Seconds later, more crashes and echoes resonated through the house. A loud, feminine roar escaped from the room.

"_Goddamnit, you! You just have to ruin everything, don't you!? I want you to get away from my boy!_"

Many more crashes came, followed by the sounds of punches and kicks. Another voice, masculine, whined, "_I didn't know you wanted me to go away!_"

"_Of course I wanted you to go away! I'm gonna beat you 'til you can't walk!"_

Naruto's eyes widened as he heard a door slam, followed by light footsteps. Mikoto entered the room, a completely innocent smile marking her face.

"Sorry about that. Just...taking care of business."

Eventually, the other pair footsteps clapped down the hallway, and Mikoto's eyes darkened as she sipped on her tea, and Naruto flinched at the red flashing in them. He almost felt she was going to cast Amaterasu on the next to enter the room. Naruto looked up as a flash of red and white slowly entered the room, and he shouted out, "Jiraiya?"

"...Uh... Yo, Naruto..."

The males in the room flinched at the bruises marking his form. Jiraiya awkwardly tugged on his collar as he looked to Naruto.

"So... About that training...? I mean... If it's okay with you...?"

Naruto stared at him incredulously as he smiled and shouted, "Of course it's okay with me! I..."

He trailed off as he noticed that Jiraiya wasn't looking at him, but past him at Mikoto. She sipped on her tea slowly as she closed her eyes.

"...I don't like perverts, Jiraiya... Crashing through my window to escape a only serves to increase my hatred."

Jiraiya bowed frightfully and moved to leave before Naruto interrupted with, "Fuck all that bullshit she's talking about! I need you to train me!"

Naruto suddenly found himself on the ground, courtesy of Mikoto's fist, "Don't you dare disrespect me in my home! Watch your tongue!"

"Stop talking to me like that! You're not my mother!"

Sasuke's and Itachi's jaws both dropped as Naruto stood up and walked off with Jiraiya, leaving Mikoto with a solemn and hurt expression as she turned back to the sink. She heard the scraping of a chair against the wood, and the clinking of metal coming closer to her.

"...Mother... I'm sure he didn't..."

Mikoto picked up Sasuke's hand from her shoulder and smiled, though he saw through it.

"It's okay, Sasuke... He's right... You two have your duties, so you both can go."

Sasuke sat with his mother for a while before Itachi grabbed Sasuke and pulled him towards the door.

"...That's our cue to leave, Sasuke. Let's go..."

As the boys walked out of the home, Mikoto followed their trail towards the living room, where she saw a picture of her, along with a boy wearing glasses, a boy with a short, black hair and large eyebrows, and another with a senbon in his mouth.

Next to it was a picture of her with a red-haired woman and a blonde, spiky-haired man. She sighed and sunk down into a nearby seat, rubbing her incoming headache away.

"...I'm trying, Kushina... I really am... Maybe I'm forcing myself on him too much..."

* * *

"You said you know some of the Fourth's techniques, right?"

Naruto and Jiraiya sat near the riverside at the training ground of Konoha. Jiraiya motioned for him to lift his sleeve up. Naruto did so, revealing the tattoo that the Hashirama Seal placed on him before he left.

"...I've never seen a seal of this caliber. From the Uzumaki, I presume?"

Making a face of thought for a few moments, Naruto eventually shrugged and stated, "It's an Uzumaki seal, but the First Hokage applied it."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow until he remembered Itachi's report to him. He sighed, "...Yes... Then you ran into the Root ANBU."

The boy frowned as his were downcast in memory of the two Root Ninja he made contact with. He groaned silently as he mumbled, "Yeah..."

"...Don't look too down, Naruto. You shouldn't have expected too much out of fighting them. Surprise attacks can only get you so far."

Naruto's features twisted into anger and disappointment as he punched one of the logs.

"It wasn't even a fight! I was attacked by surprise, but even after seeing it coming, I still couldn't move! They were faster and stronger in every way! I don't understand how I can run toe-to-toe with Madara Uchiha, but a couple of no-names can dominate me!"

The Sannin looked down at him as he fell against the wall in anguish. He placed his hand on his shoulder and commented, "Madara was weakened, not to mention that he and Kisame were the types to mess with their prey before finishing them off."

Naruto sighed as he stood up, and Jiraiya continued, "There's a strict difference between those who used the shinobi arts to protect, and those who use it for fun... And then there's the last difference between those who use it because they have no other option."

"...No other option?"

Jiraiya clicked his tongue as he elaborated, "Tools... Weapons... People who have been brainwashed and trained as children to obey orders and follow the mission at all costs... What you would have become if neither Itachi nor Sarutobi went against Danzo."

"...Me...?"

Nodding to the boy, Jiraiya reached into his pack for a scroll as he finished up, "Danzo picks the kids that show the most promise, or those that have the worst backgrounds... Those who are lost, confused, and have no future in store... The betrayed and the weak. He takes them and gives them something... Gives them a purpose... You, a boy whose life revolves around dreams and feelings, would have a difficult time understanding those who weren't given that privilege."

The blonde frowned when as Jiraiya skimmed through the contents of a scroll before moving to the next.

"...So I'll have to abandon all feelings to fight them on an equal level...?"

Jiraiya never turned from his scroll, but still answered with, "Not really. You just have to learn how to deal with them when you're on the battlefield... Letting them control you will result in death."

The Uzumaki nodded, and Jiraiya finally found the scroll he was looking for. He held it out triumphantly and laughed, "Haha...!The scroll of Minato's techniques! Good thing I remembered to save his notes!"

Naruto could hear the heavenly choirs singing to him as he held the scroll delicately in his hands. Eventually, his immaturity showed as he eagerly opened the scroll to view its contents.

"Aw, baby! Now to find that teleportation technique!"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow after Naruto's announcement and stared at him with amusement.

"...The Hiraishin? That isn't there... That was Minato's secret that he took to the grave."

Naruto froze in place as he stopped reading the scroll. He sat in complete silence before tossing the scroll back to Jiraiya. The Sannin frown as the boy stared dejectedly at the ground.

"...Then there is nothing in that scroll that interests me... One of the ANBU... Bara, I think... She was fast... _Really fast_... And the Inuzuka was just as wild as a tailed beast. I need the Hiraishin to keep up them... I don't even think Sage Mode could keep up with them, even if they gave me the chance to activate it."

Jiraiya hm'd as he placed his fingers under his chin, adopting a thinking pose to figure out an answer to Naruto's predicament. Eventually, he asked, "How fast are we talking?"

"...Maybe faster than Might Guy and Lee... She moves the same way they do, and I saw her use one of their moves... And the Inuzuka was pretty fast... Considering the last was a Hyuga, I don't even think I'm a match for any of them."

_'Not even Hyo. I've known him for years, but I never even knew the guy was a Nara...'_

Jiraiya frowned as he attempted to think of something.

_'Hiraishin's outta the question... I could teach him to open the gates, but that and the Kyubi won't mix well... He'll only kill himself faster... There's only one person that was close to the speed of Minato... and there's no way in hell that he'd ever help Naruto...'_

"_..._I understand very little about Time-Space Ninjutsu... That was an expertise of Minato's... However, I do know the basics of the seals he created... You could probably create your own... However, I'd have to teach you Fuuinjutsu... You interested?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder to Jiraiya, and it took everything the toad sage had to not laugh at his complete one-eighty in attitude. Naruto's wide grin threatened to split apart his face as he shouted, "Hell yeah! Teach me about sealing techniques!"

"...Alright... I'll let you start on that later... First...," Jiraiya drawled out as he pulled out a round balloon, holding it up for Naruto to see, "There's something else I have to show you."

* * *

"...The Sangaku no Hakaba... The Mountain Graveyard... Danzo definitely picked a weird place, huh?"

As Saiga commented on the new underground base, Bara ignored him, and watched as the underground base was being completed by the younger ANBU.

"...Negakure's coming to make its big splash... And with these new tools he gave us... this'll definitely cause a large splash!"

Again, Bara ignored him, and instead, turned away from him just as someone appeared behind them.

"...Bara... I'm in need of your assistance."

Both Saiga and Bara turned around as Danzo appeared behind them. Next to him was Hyo, who they noticed was no longer armless. When Danzo had their attention, he continued, "...Just as Saiga said... It's time to make our big splash... We start with Yugakure... then Shimogakure... Last will be Takigakure... However, I'm sending you, Saiga, and Shiro somewhere else."

Bara nodded and readjusted her cloak, asking, "Where...?"

"...There's a man traveling these parts... His name is Roshi... He is the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails... The Yonbi no Daisaru... For a country to have power, we need weapons of mass destruction. Go collect our weapon, and get rid of anyone attempting to interfere."

A tree exploded as a red-haired man hopped away from it. He landed on the forest clearing as two men, dressed in the robes of Akatsuki, landed in front of him.

"Ya... You really gotta stop running away... I don't feel like chasing you down."

One of the men had silver hair, with large scythe on his back. The other had a mask containing the symbol of Takigakure. The masked man sat back on rock and commented, "...Hidan, make this quick. I can sense people coming."

The silver-haired one laughed at his partner's concern and shouted, "Who gives a fuck!? I'll kick their asses too! Stop getting worked up over nothing, Kakuzu!"

* * *

The red-haired man placed his hands together as he entered a stance. As he prepared to fight, a deep, rumbling voice resonated through his mind.

_ "...Oi, Roshi... The man is right. There are three large signatures heading this way."_

_ The man looked up in the large, lone tree to the wooden cage holding the Grand Monkey Biju._

_ "Then we'll have to distract them until they get here... We'll hope they're not coming after me."_

_ Roshi then turned around and walked away, where_ he left his consciousness and made hand-seals as he arrived back to reality.

"Yoton! Sekkaigyo no Jutsu!"

Leaning back, Roshi expelled a large amount of quicklime over the area, intending to trap and encase the two Akatsuki before the others arrive.

"This weak shit won't faze me!"

Hidan backed away as the quicklime landed in the area in front of him. He tossed his scythe towards the Jinchuriki as he jumped into the air, landing on a tall tree branch as he kicked off and shouted, "Yoton no Yoroi!"

Lava encased the man's form as he dashed towards Hidan, who was barely able to dodge the attack. He cursed when he gazed down at his tinged left arm, and he cried out as most of his elbow began melting off. After that, the man dashed off into the woods, as he knew the others were in the area.

"Shit! You bastard!"

Kakuzu frowned as he realized the man had escaped again, and cursed when he realized that the signatures coming their way were S-Ranked chakra signatures. Standing to his feet, he called out to his partner, "Hidan, we have to g-"

"Shiro, go after the masked man. Saiga, I leave the Yugakure missing-nin to you. The Jinchuriki is mine."

The Akatsuki suddenly found themselves being assaulted by two ninja in cloaks. The third one dashed passed them to the woods, following after the Jinchuriki.

* * *

_"Roshi! One of them is coming right towards us!"_

The Jinchuriki frowned until he was suddenly knocked towards the ground. Rolling to recover himself, he jumped up and shouted, "Yoton! Shakugaryugan no Jutsu!"

Placing his hands together, he fired out large amounts of lava, which hardened as they soared towards Bara. She watched them move closer to her before she suddenly disappeared.

"Where'd he go!?"

Roshi looked all around him until she suddenly appeared under him, kicking him in the chin and sending him into the air.

_'This... This agility!?'_

"I'm not gonna let you-!"

His eyes widened as he heard her voice behind him drawl out, "You don't have a choice."

He felt the placement of her hand on his back as she twisted him and brought her left leg up to kick him. Roshi raised his elbow to block, though he felt the pain ringing through his entire arm for that action.

"Gragh...!"

Bara said nothing as she simply twisted in the air to his other side, backhanding him in the face. As they fell towards the ground, she punched and kicked him multiple times before he could crash into the ground.

"...This is it."

She flipped, swinging her left leg over her own head as her foot slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of Roshi and cracking a few of his ribs.

"Shishi rendan...!"

Roshi's eyes widened as he lay on the ground, unable to feel the strength in his bones as he hit the ground.

_"Roshi! This isn't working out right! I'm takin' over!"_

Bara suddenly felt the demonic chakra explode from his body, and back away in time to survive the shockwave. Landing further away in the clearing, she felt what remained of her right sleeve, and knew that her mask had broken off somewhere. She didn't have time to worry about it, as she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the large, ferocious ape as it angrily banged on its chest.

_"You've bitten off more than you chew, little girl! This ends here!"_

The woman clicked her tongue as she stood to her feet, rolling her sore shoulder as her long, dark hair began flowing up, spiking off at the ends. Blue and green energy rolled around her as her skin flared red, and her cloak was blown away, revealing the trademark outfit of the Root ANBU.

"...They say that releasing all Eight Gates gives you the strength of Kage, but drastically shortens your life, killing you when you're done... But I wonder..."

She reached into her pack, pulling a small needle. Entitled on the case of it was "Senju".

* * *

Trivia:

-Mikoto and Jiraiya's interaction was based off the Final Fantasy Machinima "Tough Love".

-Daisaru means "Grand/Great Monkey".

-Yoton: Sekkaigyo no Jutsu means "Lava Release: Quicklime Congealment Technique".

-Yoton: Shakugaryugan no Jutsu means "Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique".

-Since Senju DNA is the answer to everything, I've always wondered that if releasing all Eight Gates would kill you, then would that effect be reversed with Senju DNA?


	27. Tales of Tails

Disclaimer: This man does not own Naruto.

Hope Under Shadows

"Oi, Naruto. Itachi's here to see you."

Naruto grumbled as he stood up with the rubber ball in his hand. He had long popped the water balloon earlier, and was on to the second step of the Rasengan at the moment. It proved to be a challenge, but he actually popped a rubber ball earlier. Sadly, Jiraiya told him it didn't count, as he used Kurama's chakra to do it.

Looking over his shoulder, he noticed the Hokage standing with his arms crossed. An annoyed gaze lit up his eyes, and Naruto was quick to say, "I didn't do it."

"...Yes, you did."

Naruto blinked and repeated, "No, I didn't. I've been training with this ball all day... I haven't had time to do anything. I didn't do it."

Itachi's right eye twitched as he grabbed Naruto by his collar and dragged him back to the Hokage tower.

"...So the Jinchuriki appearing in my office wasn't your fault?"

* * *

"Oh my gosh! Naruto, it's been way too long! I've missed you!"

Naruto mentally cried as the green haired Jinchuriki tackled him. Han and his students watched amused in the corner as she grasped a tighter hold on him.

"Fuu...! Stop it!"

The female Jinchuriki frowned as the boy pushed her away and walked past her. Han watched as the boy stepped closer to him and looked down at him.

"...I thank you for keeping my students safe... But I'm going to have to ask a small favor of you."

Naruto frowned as he tilted his head and asked, "What's that?"

"...More specifically, I should ask your Hokage."

The large man looked over to Itachi, who waved his hand as he waited for him to continue.

"...I would like to ask you to continue to keep an eye on these three for me... I have to leave, and I can't take these three along."

The students of Han immediately began protesting, and the eldest male with the dark hair, Kurobachi, yelled out, "You can't leave us behind, Han-sensei! You're our trainer! We go where ever you go!"

Suzumebachi nodded as she grabbed his arm and shouted, "Stop trying to run away from us!"

Han looked down at them and sighed, "...You three will only be a hindrance if you come with me... Your lives are back in Iwa... Mine is not... Not until I complete Roshi's task."

The youngest male with the blonde hair, Jibachi, retorted, "Iwa won't accept us back! They consider us traitors alongside you! You don't have a choice but to take us along!"

The large Jinchuriki rubbed the bridge of his nose as he looked over to the Hokage and requested, "Please... I beg of you to allow them to be instated as Konoha ninja..."

"No!"

Itachi looked at the three, and then looked over to Naruto with a highly annoyed look on his face, and then back to Han.

"...I'll let Naruto handle this..."

Han then turned back to the blonde, whose head lowered as he heard the crying students protest against leaving them behind.

"...Where are you going? Why do you have to leave them behind?"

After pushing past his students, Han walked towards Naruto, stopping next to him as he answered, "...I'm going to hunt down the Akatsuki and find the Jinchuriki... I don't how many Jinchuriki are left, and I don't know how many Akatsuki I need to kill... I just know that I'm not going to continue running... But I won't be going anywhere with my students."

Before Han could leave the room, Naruto stopped him and noted, "You're going on a suicide mission, aren't you?"

The large man stopped before he exited the door, and his silence answered everything.

"...So you just wanted to make sure your students were alright before you killed yourself?... Was that it?"

When the older man didn't speak, Naruto continued, "That's not it... You're not doing anything but giving yourself up to Akatsuki... Which is exactly what they want... You're not dying for any cause but theirs. That's the type of sacrifice that's stupid... That isn't heroic... You don't sacrifice yourself if it doesn't help the cause..."

Itachi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's maturity. Even Komachi was surprised, considering Naruto was describing himself in a nutshell.

_'...I guess we were right in failing him years ago... That definitely taught him a lesson.'_

"...It'd be better if you stayed here with them... That way, You, me, and Fuu here can save all of the Jinchuriki that are still out there... And your students won't have to lose their sensei."

Naruto turned back to look at Han over his shoulder, who hadn't made a move since the boy began speaking. He chuckled and walked out, waving over his shoulder.

"...You know... You're a funny kid... I guess we're crashing in Konoha for now, my cute little students... Let's go."

The students all filed out with him except for Suzumebachi, who stopped and bowed in front of Naruto.

"...I thank you for saving my teacher, Naruto Uzumaki... You really did keep your promise."

She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek, much to Naruto's embarrassment and Fuu's anger, before following after her brothers. As they walked out, Naruto turned back to Fuu, ignoring her silent fuming as he asked, "Are you heading back to Takigakure?"

She suddenly awoke from her anger-induced state and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as she answered, "Nah... I can chill here with you for a while... It's not like anyone in Takigakure will miss me while I'm gone."

Fuu smiled sadly, and Naruto's hand lifted to her shoulder, in order to ease her pain. Eventually, she smack it away and shouted, "I'm gonna go to your apartment! See you back at home!" and hopped outside of the window.

Naruto sweatdropped as he watched her leave, and scratched his cheek in awkward silence.

"...So you've brought two Jinchuriki back to Konoha, and you've rescued a Biju in Kirigakure... Naruto, why must you make my job difficult...?"

The blonde frowned as he looked over to the amused Hokage and answered, "'Cause I'm gonna overthrow you with all of my allies and shit if you ever banish me."

* * *

Naruto stopped outside of the door to his apartment, as he heard two feminine voices arguing and screaming.

"...I could go back to the Uchiha Compound... I really don't want to be here... I forgot Yakumo was still here..."

Sighing, he opened the door and subjected himself to his fate. He soon found himself facing two angry girls pointing at each other, though both pairs of eyes were looking to him.

"Naruto! Who the hell is she!? Why is she in your home!?"

Yakumo growled in response, "Who the hell are you!? I'm the only person allowed in here! I'm not supposed to let strangers in!"

"I'm not a stranger! That's my boyfriend, you idiot!"

Naruto completely ignored both of them as he went to his kitchen. Walking to his drawer, he pulled out a cup of instant ramen and began boiling the water in preparation. Afterward, he turned back around and stared at the arguing girls in amusement.

"I've been his teammate for years! You've only known him for a month!"

Fuu growled and grabbed the other girl's collar as she screamed, "So what!? You're just a comrade! You've never gotten close to him like I have!"

"You've never shared a bed with him like I have!"

Naruto suddenly began coughing as he fell over in shock and laughter. Eventually, the girls finally realized that he was in the apartment, and they both turned on him and yelled at the same time, "Tell this stupid broad to leave!"

The blonde looked between the two females awkwardly as reached for the boiling water, pouring it onto his noodles as he began eating.

"This is serious, Naruto! Stop eating ramen at a time like this!"

Naruto blinked and continued to eat, which added on to the girls' anger. Eventually, he stopped chewing and commented, "Technically... Yakumo, you were supposed to leave when I came back."

The brunette's jaws dropped as the mint-haired girl cheered, though Naruto eventually shot her down, too.

"...I also never said you could stay with me, Fuu... I never said we were dating..."

The female Jinchuriki jaws dropped just as wide as Yakumo's as she yelled, "You're breaking up with me!? For this... this thing!?" gesturing to Yakumo, who narrowed her eyes at Fuu.

"...I was never dating you... And I never slept with Yakumo either... Sleeping in the same tent doesn't count... Now both of you, stop annoying me and get out."

Before the two could protest, Naruto pushed both of them and locked his door, ignoring the constant banging. Walking back to his room with his noodles, he quickly ate and went back to the rubber ball.

* * *

"Sorry to call you all on such urgency."

The next morning, Naruto, along with Shino Aburame, Neji Hyuga, and Ino Yamanaka, stood it the Hokage's office.

"It's as the Mizukage said... Yugakure has been recently invaded by Kumo... The Land of Hot Water is lost to us."

The present ninja stared at Itachi in shock as he announced the loss of one of their allies.

"Are we going there to help!?"

Itachi crossed his hands on his desk as he shook his head, "We've got bigger problems... Like Iwagakure."

Neji crossed his arms and asked, "What have we done to Iwa recently? I don't recall any operations in that territory."

Itachi looked pointedly to Naruto, who flinched back as his gaze.

"...They've accused us of stealing two of their Jinchuriki."

Naruto frowned as he commented, "I didn't steal anyone! Han ran from them, and I've never met Roshi, so I have no idea where he is!"

"I know... Akatsuki is allied with Iwa, so they're out of the question... Considering they're blaming Konoha, I only can presume Orochimaru kidnapped him... Unless Danzo is making his move after he's escaped... Regardless, Iwa is unfriendly territory, so the last country..."

Shino was the one to finish with, "Sunagakure is the only country left unattended..."

Itachi nodded, and stood up as he handed the scroll to Neji. Sitting back against the desk, he ordered, "You're going to Suna... We have no idea what is going on, so your mission is to infiltrate both Sunagakure and Tanigakure... If we can't get Suna on our side, then we're going for the Land of Rivers."

"...Allow me to go on this one."

Naruto and the group turned as the large Jinchuriki made his way in the room, followed by his teams. The blonde noted that Han and his team had removed the symbol of Iwagakure, and left their headbands blank.

"...Suna and Iwa's been at war for the past few years over the Hidden Stone village... It will be quite easy to convince them to become loyal to your cause."

Ino gasped as she asked, "Iwa's been at war? But I thought they lost their Jinchuriki?"

"...They're probably on a temporary stand still at this moment. Considering Suna only has the One-Tail, and he's pretty unstable."

The Hokage easily grasped the the idea behind the war and commented, "So Akatsuki's going after Suna's Jinchuriki? This war is a front to kidnap the One-Tail... Probably to make up for their loss of payment to Akatsuki."

Naruto frowned and looked at the tall Jinchuriki, "So you're actually coming with us to fight the Akatsuki...?"

"...And that, too."

* * *

"Oi, Naruto! I heard from Yakumo about your mission..."

Naruto paused from his ramen feasting as he noticed Sora behind him. He walked up and sat next to him, ordering a bowl from Ichiraku.

"Yeah... Going to Suna to stir up more trouble... At least it's official this time."

Sora chuckled and stated, "I know... The Hokage asked me to go along, just in case..."

"...In case of what?"

Naruto frowned at his suspicious smile, as the other boy didn't answer. Grunting, Naruto continued eating his bowl until he thought about something.

"Yakumo wasn't even there."

The monk received his bowl from the waitress and answered, "She got called in for something right after you. She wanted to come speak to you, but she was afraid you were still angry with her."

"...About Fuu? That was funny as hell! I'm not mad!"

The other boy frowned and corrected, "Not that... Before you left... About Lord Sandaime..."

Naruto's expression went blank as he sighed, "We'll probably never see eye-to-eye about that unless I show her proof... I've stopped caring about trying to convince her..."

Sora shrugged and began eating, and the two boys sat in complete silence.

"Hey, boys! Mind if I join you guys!?"

Hearing the loud, female voice, Naruto groaned as Fuu sat directly next to him. She frowned at the noise he made, and she commented, "You don't sound too happy to see me... But I guess it's hard to see your ex-girlfriend face-to-face, huh?"

"...You're not my Ex... We're not da-"

Eventually, she dove on him before he could finish and shouted, "We're not Ex-lovers anymore! I knew you still loved me!"

"Get off of me!"

The nearby monk simply chuckled as Naruto struggled to move the girl away. Eventually, he finally moved her and placed her on a seat, holding up a threatening finger to keep her in her place. She held her hands up in surrender before ordering herself a bowl.

"...So I heard you and Han were leaving for Suna..."

Naruto nodded, and went back to his tenth bowl of ramen before she continued, "...If you're going to see Gaara... Be careful... He's... He's a little weird..."

"...Gaara? Who's he, the One-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Fuu nodded as her bowl was placed in front her. With a slight cheer, she dug in before answering Naruto.

"Yep. Met 'em on a mission by accident... He and his siblings... He's definitely a character alright."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "How so?"

* * *

A twitching hand squeezed as the Iwa Jonin's screams ceased, and the area rained in blood. A boy dressed in long, red robes and a white scarf. A large gourd rested on his back. As he watched the sand retract to his gourd, two other chakra signatures appeared in the clearing.

"...Gaara, did you kill him!?"

The red-haired boy turned towards the other shinobi in a black jumpsuit. Not answering, he slowly turned completely around, a haunted look on his face, and walked past the blonde kunoichi with her hair tied into four ponytails. She wore a black, short-sleeved kimono and a red sash. She sighed as her younger brother moved past her.

"Why the hell did you do that!? We needed him alive!"

Gaara turned around and glared at the ninja in the jumpsuit, pointing at the fallen corpse and answering, "He... He tried to kill me! It was me or him, and I picked me!"

Apparently, that was the wrong answer, as the woman grabbed Gaara by his neck and slammed him against a rock as his eyes widened in fear.

"I'm sorry, Temari! I didn't mean to!"

The kunoichi dropped him as he cowered down against the tree. Groaning, she yelled, "Gaara, get up! Stop this nonsense and let's go back home! Kankuro, collect the enemies' remains, if you can find any."

Gaara mumbled to himself as he stood to his feet slowly, his body twitching fearfully as he watched his brother seal away the recently killed Iwa ninja. Temari motioned for him to follow, and he did so reluctantly.

_"You fool! You would have died if I wasn't here!"_

_ Gaara frowned at the large, demonic eyes peering through the sand storm. He looked towards his feet and replied, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you..."_

_ "...Is that what you think, idiot? The son of the Kazekage not becoming a shinobi? Such __blasphemy you speak of, Gaara! You have no choice but to fight and kill, whether you want to or not! I'm not gonna die here in this prison, you little fucker!"_

* * *

Gaara stood with his brother and sister as they waited for their father's reaction to the mission. The man, appearing similar to the red-head, though his hair was lighter, stood from his seat as he walked over to his youngest son and stood in front of him.

"...Kankuro... Temari... Leave us... I wish to speak with Gaara alone."

The elder siblings nodded and walked out of the door. As soon as they left, the younger boy closed his eyes as he waited for his father's anger. As expected, he felt the fist land against his face as he was knocked to the ground.

"...Nothing...but a poor excuse for a weapon... Can't complete the missions I ask, and too afraid to kill... That is not the point of a Jinchuriki... You represent the power that our country holds..."

The Jinchuriki rubbed his sore cheek as he back away from his father.

_"DON'T ALLOW HIM TO DO THIS! KILL HIM, BOY!"_

The Kazakage reached over and grabbed his son's collar as he lifted him into the air.

"...Yet, it appears we barely have any power over the country who has lost their Jinchuriki... Even with the advantage, they're still able to counterattack."

_"YOU BETTER KILL HIM BEFORE I DO IT! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"_

"A useless tool deserves the junk yard."

The Kazekage threw Gaara at full strength out of his window, sending him flying towards the ground.

_A failure... That's what I am, huh...?_

As he closed his eyes, surrendering himself to the fall, a burst of sand exploded from his gourd, stopping him before him could crash into the ground.

_ "...I told you, I'm gonna die yet!_

* * *

The surrounding civilians all gasped as he allowed himself to stand, and moved to walk away. Temari appeared among the crowd, and jogged quickly to him as he walked away.

"...Gaara... I'm sorry...for yelling at you on the mission..."

Before he could get too far, her hand landed on his shoulder, and he stopped as she continued, "...I don't want father to hurt you anymore...! So can you please just listen to him so he'll stop doing this to you? I'm tired of seeing you hur-"

She was cut off as he shrugged her away, and he continued aimlessly walking in front of him, ignoring the whispers of the crowd dispersing as he walked.

"...What kinda shinobi is afraid of killing...?"

"Iwa's gonna take over, and we're gonna lose because of this coward!"

"...And I bet he'll hide behind his sand the whole time!"

_"They're all against you, Gaara! Even your father and siblings are against you...! No matter what happens, I'll always be here... We're like buddies, Gaara!"_

Gaara walked away, holding his head as he felt the demon rage inside of him.

_"That deadbeat dad! We'll kill him together, Gaara! Don't you wanna watch his blood drip on the sand!?"_

Eventually, the boy shook his head as he moved closer to his home.

"...I don't want to fight... I don't want to kill..."

_"Don't hit me with that bullshit! I know who you want to kill! I can see deep into your heart, boy! We both want the same thing! That deadbeat father dead and gone!"_

_ ...Kill... My father..._


End file.
